Runoff of arid and semi-arid regions simulated and projected by CLM-DTVGM and its multi-scale fluctuations as revealed by EEMD analysis

Runoff is a major component of the water cycle, and its multi-scale fluctuations are important to water resources management across arid and semi-arid regions. This paper coupled the Distributed Time Variant Gain Model （DTVGM） into the Community Land Model （CLM 3.5）, replacing the TOPMODEL-based method to simulate runoff in the arid and semi-arid regions of China. The coupled model was calibrated at five gauging stations for the period 1980-2005 and validated for the period 2006-2010. Then, future runoff （2010-2100） was simulated for different Representative Concentration Pathways （RCP） emission scenarios. After that, the spatial distributions of the future runoff for these scenarios were discussed, and the multi-scale fluctuation characteristics of the future annual runoff for the RCP scenarios were explored using the Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition （EEMD） analysis method. Finally, the decadal variabilities of the future annual runoff for the entire study area and the five catchments in it were investigated. The results showed that the future annual runoff had slowly decreasing trends for scenarios RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5 during the period 2010-2100, whereas it had a non-monotonic trend for the RCP 4.5 scenario, with a slow increase after the 2050s. Additionally, the future annual runoff clearly varied over a decadal time scale, indicating that it had clear divisions between dry and wet periods. The longest dry period was approximately 15 years （2040-2055） for the RCP 2.6 scenario and 25 years （2045-2070） for the RCP 4.5 scenario. However, the RCP 8.5 scenario was predicted to have a long dry period starting from 2045. Under these scenarios, the water resources situation of the study area will be extremely severe. Therefore, adaptive water management measures addressing climate change should be adopted to proactively confront the risks of water resources.

The Analysis of Spring Precipitation in Semi-Arid Regions: Case Study in Iran

In this study, Zanjan from Iran has been chosen from among all the semi-arid regions of world, which has Synoptic station and statistical data since 1955. Spring and monthly precipitations are also provided in the period of 1956-2005. First, all data has been controlled by double mass method with the help of adjacent stations, and then it was normalized by the box-cox transformations method. The global SPI index was calculated for all months and spring, also drought and wet periods were determined and finally compared. In the drought category view, spring months have represented the great similarities. The moving averages are represented all months and spring’s precipitations such as three years, five years, seven years and nine years are shown. Statistical period was observed and analyzed based on five periods of ten years, and results precipitation with more than 5mm and 10mm has gradually decreased on April. However the number of days with precipitation has increased. The calculated spring precipitations and all of the atmospheric factors represented the dependence of this model to maximum average of spring temperature and relative humidity of spring and winter by the use of multi variable regression method. The predicted precipitation of spring also showed the gradual decline of precipitation in the next 30 years by the arima model.

How to Build Artificial Grassland in the Cold and Semi-Arid Regions? ——A Case Study in Naqu

Construction of artificial grassland is a key factor to solve the shortage of grass and forage balance in cold and semi-arid areas of high plateau,and it is the key measure to ensure the sustainable development of grassland animal husbandry in this area. At present,the artificial grassland construction is neither reasonable nor scientific,which restricts the healthy and rapid development of artificial grassland in the cold and semi-arid areas of high plateau. In this research,with Naqu Area in Tibet as a case,problems and current status in construction process of artificial grassland are analyzed in cold and semi-arid areas of high plateau. Suitable artificial forage species in Nagqu are elaborated,and recommendations for the construction and development of artificial grassland are discussed.

Effects of uniconazole with or without micronutrient on the lignin biosynthesis,lodging resistance,and winter wheat production in semiarid regions

Lodging stress results in grain yield and quality reduction in wheat. Uniconazole, a potential plant growth regulator significantly enhances lignin biosynthesis and thus provides mechanical strength to plants in order to cope with lodging stress. A field study was conducted during the 2015–2016 and 2016–2017 growing seasons, to investigate the effects of uniconazole sole application or with micronutrient on the lignin biosynthesis, lodging resistance, and production of winter wheat. In the first experiment, uniconazole at concentrations of 0(CK), 15(US1), 30(US2), and 45(US3) mg L^-1 was applied as sole seed soaking, while in the second experiment with manganese(Mn) at concentration of 0.06 g L^-1 Mn, 0.06 g L^-1 Mn+ 15 mg L^-1 uniconazole(UMS1), 0.06 g L^-1 Mn+30 mg L^-1 uniconazole(UMS2), and 0.06 g L^-1 Mn+45 mg L^-1 uniconazole(UMS3), respectively. Uniconazole sole application or with micronutrient significantly increased the lignin content by improving the lignin-related enzyme activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase, tyrosine ammonialyase, and peroxidase, ameliorating basal internode characteristics, and breaking strength. The spike length, spike diameter, spikes/plant, weight/spike, yield/spike, and grain yield increased and then decreased with uniconazole application at a higher concentration, where their maximum values were recorded with UMS2 and US2 treatments. The lignin accumulation was positively correlated with lignin-related enzyme activities and breaking strength while, negatively correlated with lodging rate. Uniconazole significantly improved the lignin biosynthesis, lodging resistance, and grain yield of winter wheat and the treatments which showed the greatest effects were uniconazole seed soaking with micronutrient at a concentration of 30 mg L^-1 and 0.06 g L^-1 , and uniconazole sole seed soaking at a concentration of 30 mg L^-1 .

Numerical Study of Impacts of Soil Moisture on the Diurnal and Seasonal Cycles of Sensible/Latent Heat Fluxes over Semi-arid Region

The semi-arid regions, as climatic and ecosystem transitional zones, are the most vulnerable to global environmental change. Earlier researches indicate that the semi-arid regions are characterized by strong landatmosphere coupling in which soil moisture is the crucial variable in land surface processes. In this paper, we investigate the sensitivity of the sensible/latent heat fluxes to soil moisture during the growing season based on the enhanced observations at Tongyu in the Jilin province of China, a reference site of international Coordinated Energy and Water Cycle Observations Project （CEOP） in the semi-arid regions, by using a sophisticated land surface model （NCAR_CLM3.0）. Comparisons between the observed and simulated sensible/latent heat fluxes indicate that the soil moisture has obvious effects on the sensible/latent heat fluxes in terms of diurnal cycle and seasonal evolution. Better representation of the soil moisture could improve the model performance to a large degree. Therefore, for the purpose of simulating the land-atmosphere interaction and predicting the climate and water resource changes in semi-arid regions, it is necessary to enhance the description of the soil moisture distribution both in the way of observation and its treatment in land surface models.

Evaluation of SEBS Algorithm for Estimation of Daily Evapotranspiration Using Landsat-8 Dataset in a Semi-Arid Region of Central Iran

Evapotranspiration is one the most important parameters in the hydrological cycle and plays a significant role in energy balance of the earth’s surface. Traditional field-based measurements approaches for calculation of daily evapotranspiration are valid only for local scales. Using advanced remote sensing technology, the spatial distribution of evapotranspiration may now be quantified more accurately. At the present study, daily evapotranspiration is estimated using Landsat 8 datasets based on the Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) algorithm over the Zayanderud Dam area in central Iran. For this purpose, three Landsat 8 datasets in the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 covering the study area were atmospherically corrected using the FLAASH approach. The biophysical parameters of the earth’s surface for SEBS algorithm, such as normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), Leaf area index (LAI), fractional vegetation cover (FC) were extracted from the visible and near infrared bands and land surface temperature was computed from thermal bands the Landsat 8 datasets. The spatial distribution of daily ET was provided separately for each year. In addition to the SEBS algorithm, the Penman-Monteith method was applied to estimate the daily ET from meteorological datasets which was obtained from two synoptic stations within the study area. Finally, the simulated daily ET values from both SEBS and Penman-Monteith method were compared to observed values obtained from a lysimeter within the study area. Although the estimated results from both SEBS and Penman-Monteith show a strong correlation with the observed values, the derived ET maps and following analysis demonstrated SEBS has higher accuracy and strength in estimation of daily ET in Zayanderud Dam region.

Comparisons of plant calcium fraction between two different vegetation zones in semi-arid region

To explore the characteristics of plant calcium(Ca) fraction, we analyzed 91 plant species in the Ningxia Habahu National Nature Reserve in Yanchi County of Ningxia and 84 plant species in Zhenglan Banner of Inner Mongolia. Results show that, for the two regions, there is no significant difference between Ca fraction for the same growth type, and between water soluble Ca content or between hydrochloric acid soluble Ca content for plants of the same ecosystem and between hydrochloric acid soluble Ca content for plants of the same family. In similar vegetation zones, there is a significant difference among hydrochloric acid soluble Ca content for different growth types in Yanchi County and Zhenglan Banner,which was the highest for annual herbs and the lowest for perennial herbs. There is a significant difference between acetic acid soluble Ca content and between hydrochloric acid soluble Ca content for sandy land and grassland ecosystems in Yanchi County. There is a significant difference among the same Ca fraction of different families in the same region. Thus, the characteristics of plant Ca fraction are results of long-term adaptation to the environment.

Discussion on an Eco-Agriculture Model in the Semi-Arid Region of China

The semi-arid region of China covers an area of 2.2×10^6kin^2. Water shortage in this region is the core but not the only one factor for the sustainable development of agriculture. Effective application of the energy and all kinds of resources and overall maintenance of the balance of ecological environment must be emphasized for sustainable development of the agriculture in the region. The extensive development of rural yard-economy is the only way to realize the intensive agricultural development there. A model is developed on the basis of our studies in recent years.

Improvement of Supplementary Irrigation Water Quality for Rain-Fed Agriculture in the Semi-Arid Region Using Magnetization Techniques

Rain-fed agriculture depends on the groundwater as a supplementary source of irrigation. The poor quality of water from the hard rock area is applied to the crops to save the crop. Continuous irrigation leads to degradation of soil, drip irrigation system as well plants. This study assessed the damages on the drip irrigation system and soil, inflicted by the use of low-quality irrigation water. The quality of water was improved with reference to raw water in terms of pH (1.57% - 5.88%), EC (3.08% - 10.08%), ions (0.96% - 46%) by using magnetization method, without disrupting the existing irrigation system in the basaltic aquifer in semi-arid to the arid condition. This was demonstrated before the farmers in central India.

Progress in Semi-arid Climate Change Studies in China

This article reviews recent progress in semi-arid climate change research in China.Results indicate that the areas of semiarid regions have increased rapidly during recent years in China,with an increase of 33%during 1994-2008 compared to 1948-62.Studies have found that the expansion rate of semi-arid areas over China is nearly 10 times higher than that of arid and sub-humid areas,and is mainly transformed from sub-humid/humid regions.Meanwhile,the greatest warming during the past 100 years has been observed over semi-arid regions in China,and mainly induced by radiatively forced processes.The intensity of the regional temperature response over semi-arid regions has been amplified by land-atmosphere interactions and human activities.The decadal climate variation in semi-arid regions is modulated by oceanic oscillations,which induce land-sea and north-south thermal contrasts and affect the intensities of westerlies,planetary waves and blocking frequencies.In addition,the drier climates in semi-arid regions across China are also associated with the weakened East Asian summer monsoon in recent years.Moreover,dust aerosols in semi-arid regions may have altered precipitation by affecting the local energy and hydrological cycles.Finally,semi-arid regions in China are projected to continuously expand in the 21st century,which will increase the risk of desertification in the near future.

Small-Scale Spatial Variability of Soil Nutrients and Vegetation Properties in Semi-Arid Northern China

A field experiment was conducted at Kezuohouqi County, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China, which was located on the southeastern edge of the Horqin Sandy Land, to study the spatial variability of soil nutrients for a smallscale, nutrient-poor, sandy site in a semi-arid region of northern China; to investigate whether or not there were 'islands of fertility' at the experimental site; and to determine the key nutrient elements that sustained ecosystem stability. Results obtained from geostatistical analysis indicated that the spatial distribution pattern of soil total nitrogen (STN) was far different from those of soil organic matter (SOM), total phosphorus (STP), and total potassium (STK). Compared to SOM, STP, and STK, STN had a lower structural heterogeneity ratio and a longer range, while other elements were all similar. In addition, STN had an isotropic spatial structure, whereas the others had an anisotropic spatial structure. The spatial structure patterns of herbage species, cover,and height also differed, indicating that spatial variability was subjected to different ecological factors. Differences in the spatial variability patterns among soil nutrients and vegetation properties showed that soil nutrients for a small-scale were not the primary limiting factors that influenced herbage spatial distribution patterns. Incorporating spatial distribution patterns of tree species, namely, Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica Litv. and shrub Lespedeza bicolor Turcz. in a research plot and using fractal dimension,SOM, STP, and STK were shown to contribute to the 'islands of fertility' phenomenon, however STN was not, possibly meaning that nitrogen was a key limiting element. Therefore, during restoration of similar ecosystems more attention should be given to soil nitrogen.

Interaction between climate and management on beta diversity components of vegetation in relation to soil properties in arid and semi-arid oak forests, Iran

This study aimed to investigate the interaction between regions with different climatic conditions(arid vs. semi-arid) and management(protected vs. unprotected) on the turnover and nestedness of vegetation in relation to physical, chemical and biological properties of soils in the Ilam Province of Iran. In each of the two regions, we sampled 8 sites(4 managed and 4 unmanaged sites) within each of which we established 4 circular plots(1000 m^2) that were used to investigate woody species, while two micro-plots(1 m×1 m) were established in each 1000-m^2 plot to analyze herbaceous species. In each sample unit, we also extracted three soil samples(0–20 cm depth) for measuring soil properties. The results indicated that the interaction between region and conservational management significantly affected the percent of canopy cover of Persian oak(Quercus brantii Linddl), soil respiration, substrate-induced respiration, as well as beta and gamma diversities and turnover of plant species. The percent of oak canopy cover was positively correlated with soil silt, electrical conductivity, available potassium, and alpha diversity, whereas it was negatively correlated with plant turnover. In addition, plant turnover was positively related to available phosphorus, while nestedness of species was positively related to organic carbon and total nitrogen. According to these results, we concluded that physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of limited ecological niche generally influenced plant diversity. Also, this study demonstrated the major contribution of the beta diversity on gamma diversity, especially in semi-arid region, because of the higher heterogeneity of vegetation in this area.

Soil respiration response to precipitation reduction in a grassland and a Mongolian pine plantation in semi-arid northeast China

Climate change is predicted to alter global precipitation regimes.However,the response of soil carbon and nitrogen cycles and soil microorganisms to precipitation reduction is poorly understood but is dependent on ecosystem type.To evaluate the impacts of reduced precipitation on soil respiration,soil inorganic nitrogen(i.e.,NH4^+–N and NO3^-–N),nitrogen mineralization,and soil microbial community composition,a precipitation manipulation experiment was initiated in a Mongolian pine plantation and a naturally restored grassland in semi-arid northeast China.Precipitation reduction led to decreases of soil respiration rates by 14 and 8%in 2014 and 2015 in the Mongolian pine plantation but no changes in the grassland.Soil inorganic nitrogen,ammonification and nitrification rate,and soil phospholipids fatty acids were not significantly changed by reduced precipitation but significantly differed between the two ecosystems and among growing seasons.Our results suggest that the impacts of precipitation reduction on soil respiration were different between the Mongolian pine plantation and the grassland,and that ecosystem type and growing season had more pronounced impacts on soil carbon and nitrogen cycles.

Features on N/P ratio of plants with different functional groups between two types of steppe in semi-arid area

The differences in nitrogen/phosphorus(N/P)ratios of different functional groups in ecology are more helpful in explaining species competition and community dynamics.Based on the functional groups of plant growth type,carbon metabolism pathway,root type and phylogenetic type,we analyzed characteristics of leaf N/P ratios of 77 species in Sanggendalai(typical grassland zone)of Zhenglan Banner,Inner Mongolia,China and 91 species in the Habahu National Nature Reserve(desertified grassland zone)in Yanchi County of Ningxia,China.The results show that the N/P ratio(16.91)of C3 plants in the desertified steppe was significantly larger than that(12.72)in the typical steppe,but there was no significant difference between the N/P ratios of C4 plants in the two zones.There was no significant difference in N/P ratios between C3 plants and C4 plants in the same zone.Similarly,the N/P ratio(16.60)of dicotyledons in desertified steppe were significantly higher than that(12.98)in typical steppe,while differences in N/P ratios between monocotyledonous plants of the two zones was not significant,and there existed no significant difference in N/P ratios between dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous plants in the same zone.The N/P ratio had significant difference between gramineous and non-gramineous plants in the typical steppe but not in the desertified steppe,but there existed no significant difference in N/P ratios among different root types of perennial herbaceous plants in the same type of steppe or between two types of steppe.Thus,different features on the N/P ratios of C3 plants and dicotyledonous plants between typical steppe and desertified steppe may lead to different growth status of plants,and the N/P ratio stoichiometric of the same plant functional group may be a foundation of the changes of a plant community.

Application of spatially varying storage capacity model for runoff parameterization in semi-arid catchment

This paper introduces the method of designation of water storage capacity for each grid cell within a catchment, which considers topography, vegetation and soil synthetically. For the purpose of hydrological process simulation in semi-arid regions, a spatially varying storage capacity （VSC） model was developed based on the spatial distribution of water storage capacity and the vertical hybrid runoff mechanism. To verify the applicability of the VSC model, both the VSC model and a hybrid runoff model were used to simulate daily runoff processes in the catchment upstream of the Dianzi hydrological station from 1973 to 1979. The results showed that the annual average Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient was 0.80 for the VSC model, and only 0.67 for the hybrid runoff model. The higher annual average Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient of the VSC model means that this hydrological model can better simulate daily runoff processes in semi-arid regions. Furthermore, as a distributed hydrological model, the VSC model can be applied in regional water resource management.

Study of Changing Features of Precipitation from 1900-2010 Years in Africa-Asia Arid and Semi-Arid Area

The relationship between time-space variation characteristics and the variation of the general atmospheric circulation of rainfall occurred in Asia, Africa through North Africa-Middle East-Western Middle Asia-Eastern Middle Asia, Northwest China-Eastern Northwest China-North China and Northeast China is studied based on the analysis of GPCC rainfall data from 1901 to 2010 and annual precipitation in relevant cities of China from 1901 to 2010, and the data of NCEP of surface pressure as well as 500 Hpa potential high from 1950 to 2010. The result shows that the total precipitation presents a decreasing trend in north Africa to the northeast of China in recent 100 years. It has a mutation in 1950s. The precipitation presented a decreasing trend in North Africa and Middle East, in recent 100 years;it presented a further decreasing trend after 1950s. It presented a decreasing trend before 1950s and an increasing trend after 1950s in Middle Asia and Northwest china. It also presented a decreasing trend before 1950s and an increasing trend between 1950s to 1990s, and decreased later in Eastern Northwest China, North China and Northeast China which also presented in a more or less period in different areas from North Africa to Northeast China. The beginning of less precipitation years and less period occurred after it presented less period in north Africa in time and space. After it moved to the east areas as the year past, at last, the SLPA fields which presented more or less precipitations of years from North Africa to Northeast China were analyzed. It also shows that the SLPA fields which presented more were beneficial to the precipitations and presented negative effects of precipitations in the polar, high and mid- and lower latitudes.

甘肃省河东地区气象-水文干旱时空演变特征

干旱半干旱区是气候变化和人类活动的敏感和脆弱区,研究地区干旱时空演变特征有助于成灾机理分析。甘肃省河东地区是我国典型干旱半干旱区,主要依靠自然降水维持农业生产,旱灾尤为突出。基于标准化降水指数和标准化径流指数探讨河东地区气象-水文干旱的时空演变特征,结果表明:(1)气象干旱多发生于春夏两季及陇东地区,较少发生季节型以上气象干旱;(2)水文干旱较气象干旱历时更长,多年尺度干旱时有发生;(3)不同季节气象-水文干旱滞时不同,春夏两季几乎无滞后,秋季约滞后1个月,冬季约滞后4个月;(4)陇中和陇东地区历史受灾/成灾面积较大。本研究可为干旱半干旱区的旱灾预警评估和旱灾防控工作提供参考。

基于改进遥感生态指数的干旱内流区生态质量评价--以阴山北麓塔布河流域为例

干旱-半干旱地区生态环境脆弱,开展多要素、长时序生态质量动态变化研究,可为干旱-半干旱区生态建设与区域可持续发展提供科学依据。在遥感生态指数RSEI基础上,根据干旱-半干旱地区特点,耦合了绿度(NDVI)、湿度(WET)、热度(LST)、干度(SI)和盐度(SI-T)五个指标,提出适应干旱-半干旱区域生态质量评价的mRSEI模型,对1986—2022年间塔布河流域生态质量进行动态评价。利用Mann-Kendall突变检验、Theil-Sen(T-S)分析联合Mann-Kendall趋势分析法探究生态质量时空变化;引入欧洲中期天气预报中心发布的第五代再分析数据集(ERA5)的气象数据,在逐像元层面探讨了气候因素与mRSEI的相关关系。研究表明:(1)相较于RSEI而言,mRSEI能更好集成各生态分量包含的信息,且模型更加稳定可靠;(2)mRSEI受到的负面影响主要来自于盐度指标(SI-T),相关系数均值为-0.922,其影响力大于干度、热度指标,表明引入盐度指标对干旱-半干旱区生态质量评价具有重要意义;(3)研究时序内mRSEI介于0.179—0.423,生态质量总体呈下降趋势(Slope=-0.0014,P<0.05);(4)趋势分析结果表明,塔布河流域84.37%的区域生态质量未发生变化,另外15.63%中,生态质量退化面积占比远高于生态质量变好的区域,研究区生态质量总体呈退化趋势。(5)气候因素与mRSEI相关分析结果表明,降水与mRSEI呈正相关(r=0.411—0.807),年均气温与mRSEI呈负相关(r=-0.824—-0.398);时序相关分析结果表明,气温是研究区生态质量的主控因子。(6)人文因素虽然会对塔布河流域生态质量产生扰动,但并不起决定作用。基于改进的遥感生态指数mRSEI,能够科学监测干旱-半干旱区生态质量空间分布、准确把握生态质量变化趋势,可为干旱-半干旱地区生态保护提供理论支撑。