Effects of drip irrigation on components of water cycle in arid inland areas: A case study of Manas river basin in northwestern China

Compared to either drip irrigation or mulching with plastic film,the two methods together can reduce water requirements of crops grown in arid areas by more than 30%.Such a combination deployed on a large scale(1)reduced the loss of soil water by 31.8%compared to that from drip irrigation alone;(2)narrowed the range of annual evapotranspiration from 1582.4-1780.3 mm,which is average for the basin,to 222.2-294.8 mm;and(3)increased the overall humidity in the central plain of the basin.However,the surrounding regions in which drip irrigation is not combined with mulching are getting more arid;thus,as a result of the water-saving technology,both oases and the desertification of the river basin are increasing at the same time.The results of the study further the understanding of the effects of drip irrigation combined with mulching on water cycles in the basin of the Manas river and suggest ways to protect the ecology and the environment of the basin.

Progress, problems and prospects of palynology in reconstructing environmental change in inland arid areas of Asia

Studying the climatic and environmental changes on different time scales in inland arid regions of Asia can greatly im‐prove our understanding of climatic influences for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the context of global change. Pollen, as a remnant of seed plants, is sensitive to environmental factors including precipitation, temperature and altitude, and is a clas‐sic proxy in environmental reconstruction. In the last two decades, great progress in the application of palynology to in‐land areas of Asia has highlighted the role of palynology in paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental research. The main progress is as follows. (1) On the tectonic time scale of the late Cenozoic, the palaeoclimatological sequence has been es‐tablished on the basis of pollen percentage, concentration and taxon. Pollen data have revealed a continuous enhancement of drought in the inland arid region of Asia, in contrast to evidence acquired based on other proxies. (2) In the late Quater‐nary, an increase in herbaceous plants further supports the intensification of drought associated with global cooling. In more detail, the palynological record shows a glacial-interglacial pattern consistent with changes in global ice volume. (3) The Holocene pollen record has been established at a high resolution and across a wide range of inland areas. In general, it presents an arid grassland environment in the early Holocene, followed by the development of woody plants in the mid- to late-Holocene climate optimum. This pattern is related to moisture changes in areas dominated by the westerlies. There are also significant regional differences in the pattern and amplitude of vegetation response to the Holocene environment. (4) Modern pollen studies based on vegetation surveys, meteorological data and statistics show that topsoil palynology can better reflect regional vegetation types (e. g., grassland, meadow, desert). Drier climates yield higher pollen contents of drought-tolerant plants such as Chenopodioideae, Ephedra, and Nitriaria, while contents of Artemisia and Poaceae are greater under humid climates. Besides these achievements, problems remain in palynological research: for example, pol‐len extraction, identification, interpretation, and quantitative reconstruction. In the future, we encourage strengthened inter‐disciplinary cooperation to improve experimental methods and innovation. Firstly, we should strengthen palynological classification and improve the skill of identification;secondly, laboratory experiments are needed to better constrain pol‐len transport dynamics in water and air;thirdly, more rigorous mathematical principles will improve the reliability of re‐constructions and deepen the knowledge of plant geography;and finally, new areas and methods in palynology should be explored, for example DNA, UV-B and isotopic analysis. It is expected that palynology will continue to develop, and we hope it will continue to play an important role in the study of past climatic and environmental changes.

Impact of climate change and human activities on the spatiotemporal dynamics of surface water area in Gansu Province, China

Understanding the dynamics of surface water area and their drivers is crucial for human survival and ecosystem stability in inland arid and semi-arid areas.This study took Gansu Province,China,a typical area with complex terrain and variable climate,as the research subject.Based on Google Earth Engine,we used Landsat data and the Open-surface Water Detection Method with Enhanced Impurity Control method to monitor the spatiotemporal dynamics of surface water area in Gansu Province from 1985 to 2022,and quantitatively analyzed the main causes of regional differences in surface water area.The findings revealed that surface water area in Gansu Province expanded by 406.88 km2 from 1985 to 2022.Seasonal surface water area exhibited significant fluctuations,while permanent surface water area showed a steady increase.Notably,terrestrial water storage exhibited a trend of first decreasing and then increasing,correlated with the dynamics of surface water area.Climate change and human activities jointly affected surface hydrological processes,with the impact of climate change being slightly higher than that of human activities.Spatially,climate change affected the'source'of surface water to a greater extent,while human activities tended to affect the'destination'of surface water.Challenges of surface water resources faced by inland arid and semi-arid areas like Gansu Province are multifaceted.Therefore,we summarized the surface hydrology patterns typical in inland arid and semi-arid areas and tailored surface water'supply-demand'balance strategies.The study not only sheds light on the dynamics of surface water area in Gansu Province,but also offers valuable insights for ecological protection and surface water resource management in inland arid and semi-arid areas facing water scarcity.

Environmental suitability evaluation for human settlements in an arid inland river basin： A case study of the Shiyang River Basin

The study employs slope, aspect, relief degree of land surface, land use, vegetation index, hydrology and climate, as evaluation indexes to set up the Human Settlements Environmental Index （HEI） model to evaluate the environmental suitability for human settlements in the Shiyang River Basin. By using GIS spatial analysis technology, such as spatial overlay analysis, buffer analysis and density analysis, the environmental suitability of the human set- tlement spatial situation and spatial pattern are established to analyze their spatial distribution The results show that the index of suitability for human settlements in the Shiyang River Basin is between 17.13 and 84.32. In general, suitability for human settlements decreases from the southwest to the northeast. Seen from an area pattern, the suitable region is mainly distributed in the Minqin oasis, Wuwei oasis and Changning basin, which are about 1080.01 km2 and account for 2.59% of the total area. Rather and comparatively suitable region is mainly distributed around the counties of Gulang, Yongchang and north of Tianzhu, which is about 1100.30 km2. The common suitable region is mainly distributed outside the counties of Yongchang, Jinchuan and most parts of Minqin County, which are about 23328.04 km2, accounting for 56.08% of the total area. The unsuitable region is mainly distributed upstream and to the north of the river, which is about 9937.60 km2, accounting for 23.89% of the total area. Meanwhile, the least suitable region is distributed around the Qilian Mountains, which are covered by snow and cold desert and lie in the intersecting area between the Tengger Desert and Badain Jaran Desert. The total area is about 6154.05 km2, accounting for 14.79% of the total area. Suitable regions for human habitation are mainly distributed around rivers in the form of ribbons and batches, while others are scattered. The distribution pattern is iden- tical to the residential spatial pattern. In addition, the relationships between HEI and other factors have been analyzed. There is a clear logarithmic correlation between the residential environment and population, that is, the correlation coefficient between the evaluation valueand population density reaches 0.851. There is also a positive correlation between the residential environment and economy, which reaches an evaluation value of 0.845 between the residential environment and GDP. Results also show that the environment is out of bearing with the existing population in Shiyang River Basin. Spatial distribution of population is pro- foundly affected by severe environmental problems, such as the expanded deserts, the hilly terrain and the changing climate. Surface water shortage and slow economic growth are bot- tlenecks for suitable human settlement in the Shiyang River Basin. Combining these prob- lems with planning for construction of new country and the exploitation of local land, some residential areas should be relocated to improve the residential environment.