Extended wet sieving method for determination of complete particle size distribution of general soils

The traditional standard wet sieving method uses steel sieves with aperture?0.063 mm and can only determine the particle size distribution(PSD)of gravel and sand in general soil.This paper extends the traditional method and presents an extended wet sieving method.The extended method uses both the steel sieves and the nylon filter cloth sieves.The apertures of the cloth sieves are smaller than 0.063 mm and equal 0.048 mm,0.038 mm,0.014 mm,0.012 mm,0.0063 mm,0.004 mm,0.003 mm,0.002 mm,and 0.001 mm,respectively.The extended method uses five steps to separate the general soil into many material sub-groups of gravel,sand,silt and clay with known particle size ranges.The complete PSD of the general soil is then calculated from the dry masses of the individual material sub-groups.The extended method is demonstrated with a general soil of completely decomposed granite(CDG)in Hong Kong,China.The silt and clay materials with different particle size ranges are further examined,checked and verified using stereomicroscopic observation,physical and chemical property tests.The results further confirm the correctness of the extended wet sieving method.

Petrology,geochemistry,and crystal size distribution of the basaltic andesite-dacite association at Mt.Sumbing,Central Java,Indonesia:Insights to magma reservoir dynamics and petrogenesis

Ten rock samples consisting of one pyroclastic density current(PDC1)deposit,seven lava flows(LF1–7),and two summit lava domes(LD1,2)were studied to understand the petrogenesis and magma dynamics at Mt.Sumbing.The stratigraphy is arranged as LF1,PDC1,LF2,LF3,LF4,LF5,LF6,LF7,LD1,and LD2;furthermore,these rocks were divided into two types.TypeⅠ,observed in the oldest(LF1)sample,has poor MgO and high Ba/Nb,Th/Yb and Sr.The remaining samples(PDC1–LD2)represent typeⅡ,characterized by high MgO and low Ba/Nb,Th/Yb and Sr values.We suggest that type I is derived from AOC(altered oceanic crust)-rich melts that underwent significant crustal assimilation,while typeⅡoriginates from mantle-rich melts with less significant crustal assimilation.The early stage of typeⅡmagma(PDC1–LF3)was considered a closed system,evolving basaltic andesite into andesite(55.0–60.2 wt%SiO_(2))with a progressively increasing phenocryst(0.30–0.48φ_(PC))and decreasing crystal size distribution(CSD)slope(from-3.9 to-2.9).The evidence of fluctuating silica and phenocryst contents(between 55.9–59.7 wt%and 0.25–0.41φ_(PC),respectively),coupled with the kinked and steep(from-5.0 to-3.3)CSD curves imply the interchanging condition between open(i.e.,magma mixing)and closed magmatic systems during the middle stage(LF4–LF6).Finally,it underwent to closed system again during the final stage(LF7–LD2)because the magma reached dacitic composition(at most 68.9 wt%SiO_(2))with abundant phenocryst(0.38–0.45φ_(PC))and gentle CSD slope(from-4.1 to-1.2).

Optical Modeling of Sea Salt Aerosols Using in situ Measured Size Distributions and the Impact of Larger Size Particles

Sea salt aerosols play a critical role in regulating the global climate through their interactions with solar radiation.The size distribution of these particles is crucial in determining their bulk optical properties.In this study,we analyzed in situ measured size distributions of sea salt aerosols from four field campaigns and used multi-mode lognormal size distributions to fit the data.We employed super-spheroids and coated super-spheroids to account for the particles’non-sphericity,inhomogeneity,and hysteresis effect during the deliquescence and crystallization processes.To compute the singlescattering properties of sea salt aerosols,we used the state-of-the-art invariant imbedding T-matrix method,which allows us to obtain accurate optical properties for sea salt aerosols with a maximum volume-equivalent diameter of 12μm at a wavelength of 532 nm.Our results demonstrated that the particle models developed in this study were successful in replicating both the measured depolarization and lidar ratios at various relative humidity(RH)levels.Importantly,we observed that large-size particles with diameters larger than 4μm had a substantial impact on the optical properties of sea salt aerosols,which has not been accounted for in previous studies.Specifically,excluding particles with diameters larger than 4μm led to underestimating the scattering and backscattering coefficients by 27%−38%and 43%−60%,respectively,for the ACE-Asia field campaign.Additionally,the depolarization ratios were underestimated by 0.15 within the 50%−70%RH range.These findings emphasize the necessity of considering large particle sizes for optical modeling of sea salt aerosols.

Particle size spatial distribution in landslide dams

The particle composition and spatial distribution of landslide-induced dam bodies are critical geotechnical parameters for studying the hazards of dam-break floods.However,current research often neglects the influence of the initial particle composition and spatial distribution of the landslide on the particle composition and spatial distribution of the landslide dam.This study investigated the impact of initial particle size distribution,volume,and sliding length on the energy and velocity changes of characteristic particles during the sliding process and the spatial distribution of particle sizes in the landslide dam body.Numerical simulations and physical models were employed to examine the effects of sequential gradient arrangements(where particle sizes decrease from top to bottom)and four other different initial particle arrangements on the energy and velocity changes of particles and the spatial distribution of particle sizes in the dam body.The study reveals the characteristics of translational and rotational energy of different particles and the laws of mechanical energy conversion,obtaining the spatial distribution patterns of particle sizes in landslide-induced dams.The results show that under the sequential gradient arrangement,the energy dissipation of the landslide movement is lower,with larger particles mainly distributed at the distal end and smaller particles at the proximal end of the landslide dam.In contrast,under the reverse gradient arrangement,the energy dissipation of the landslide movement is higher,and the distribution pattern of the dam particles is opposite to that of the sequential gradient arrangement.For the other arrangement modes,the spatial distribution of dam particles falls between the aforementioned two.There is a positive correlation between particle size and translational kinetic energy within the particle flow during the landslide process,and rotational motion increases energy dissipation.Under constant slope conditions,sliding length does not affect the movement pattern of the particle flow or the spatial distribution of particles in the dam body.The findings of this study provide a scientific basis for the accurate simulation and prediction of dam-break flood processes.

Distribution,abundance,and realized niches of meroplankton by two different mesh size nets during spring 2017 in the Southern Yellow Sea,China

Meroplankton play a crucial role in both benthic and pelagic ecosystems.Existing quantitative research on estimating the quantities of meroplankton groups is both underrepresented and inaccurate.To investigate and evaluate the influence of varying mesh sizes(505 and 160μm)on the sampling efficiency of meroplankton,we conducted an examination using two commonly used plankton nets during the spring season in the Southern Yellow Sea(SYS).Our study revealed a total of 12 meroplankton groups,with 9 groups identified in the 505-μm mesh nets and 11 groups in the 160-μm mesh nets.The results demonstrated the superior collection efficiency of the 160-μm net compared to the 505-μm net across the majority of meroplankton groups.Furthermore,we focused on exploring the abundance,distribution patterns,and realized niches of meroplankton collected by the two mesh size nets,and observed that the distribution of meroplankton closely resembled the distribution of possible benthic adults in the SYS.Correlation analysis of the six dominant groups collected in the 160-μm mesh nets revealed that seawater temperature and salinity emerged as the key environmental factors driving variations in meroplankton abundance within the SYS.This study also found that a smaller mesh size net does not necessarily capture meroplankton more comprehensively.A comprehensive understanding of the ecological characteristics of meroplankton requires the combination of two types of nets for research.Our research significantly advances our understanding of the quantification,abundance,and distribution of meroplankton,serving as a valuable contribution to the broader landscape of detailed quantitative meroplankton studies.

The Distribution of Surnames in Xiantao City through Isonymy

The population migration in Hubei Province was frequent in history,accompanied by the migration of surnames,so it is important to study their population surnames.We take Xiantao City as an example to explore the isonymic structure of small and medium-sized cities in Hubei.The surname distributions of 223327 residents registered in 2013 were analyzed in 5 towns and 105 villages of Xiantao.The number of different surnames found was 422.As for surnames,theα-value reflects the influence of ethnic composition on the abundance of surnames.The correlation between the isonymic distance and the geographic distance between villages was calculated and indicated that Euclidean distance was weakly correlated with the geographic distance(r=0.177±0.012),and the isonymic distance increased with the geographical distance.Furthermore,the dendrogram and PCA built from the matrix of Euclidean distances between villages identified a main surname differentiation between the urban and rural areas.

Bivariate Analysis of Pollutants Monthly Maxima in Mexico City Using Extreme Value Distributions and Copula

In the present work, we are interested in studying the joint distributions of pairs of the monthly maxima of the pollutants used by the environmental authorities in Mexico City to classify the air quality in the metropolitan area. In order to obtain the joint distributions a copula will be considered. Since we are analyzing the monthly maxima, the extreme value distributions of Weibull and Fréchet are taken into account. Using these two distributions as marginal distributions in the copula a Bayesian inference was made in order to estimate the parameters of both distributions and also the association parameters appearing in the copula model. The pollutants taken into account are ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter with diameters smaller than 10 and 2.5 microns obtained from the Mexico City monitoring network. The estimation was performed by taking samples of the parameters generated through a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm implemented using the software OpenBugs. Once the algorithm is implemented it is applied to the pairs of pollutants where one of the coordinates of the pair is ozone and the other varies on the set of the remaining pollutants. Depending on the pollutant and the region where they were collected, different results were obtained. Hence, in some cases we have that the best model is that where we have a Fréchet distribution as the marginal distribution for the measurements of both pollutants and in others the most suitable model is the one assuming a Fréchet for ozone and a Weibull for the other pollutant. Results show that, in the present case, the estimated association parameter is a good representation to the correlation parameters between the pair of pollutants analyzed. Additionally, it is a straightforward task to obtain these correlation parameters from the corresponding association parameters.

Spatial and Temporal Distribution Characteristics of Snowstorm in Ulanqab City in Recent 30 Years

Based on the data of daily snowfall and weather phenomena of 11 national meteorological stations in Ulanqab City from 1991 to 2020,the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of snowstorm were analyzed.The results show that the snowstorm in Ulanqab had obvious seasonal distribution characteristics,mainly happening in spring(March-May)and autumn(September-November).It also had obvious regional distribution in space,and the snowstorm center appeared in Chahar Right Wing Middle Banner and Jining District,namely the east side of the Yinshan Mountain.In the past 30 years,the amount of snowstorm in the whole year in Ulanqab showed a certain fluctuation trend,and the number of snowstorm days had shown an obvious upward trend since 2011.

Gini Index for Cities: A Preliminary Study on Regional Differences of Chinese City Size Distribution

City size distribution is of interest because of a number of key stylized facts, including notably Zipf's law for cities and the importance of urban primacy. But a new and more efficient method Gini index can be used for calculating regional city size distribution. This paper begins by developing a calculation method for the Gini index, dividing the whole country into 26 areas and then calculating each area's Gini index value. Based on these calculation results, this paper gives a preliminary study on regional differences of its city size distribution and the dynamics.

Variability of Raindrop Size Distribution during a Regional Freezing Rain Event in the Jianghan Plain of Central China

The characteristics of the raindrop size distribution(DSD)during regional freezing rain(FR)events that occur throughout the phase change(from liquid to solid)are poorly understood due to limited observations.We investigate the evolution of microphysical parameters and the key formation mechanisms of regional FR using the DSDs from five disdrometer sites in January 2018 in the Jianghan Plain(JHP)of Central China.FR is identified via the size and velocity distribution measured from a disdrometer,the discrete Fréchet distancemethod,surface temperature,human observations,and sounding data.With the persistence of precipitation,the emergence of graupel or snowflakes significantly reduces the proportion of FR.The enhancement of this regional FR event is mainly dominated by the increase in the number concentration of raindrops but weakly affected by the diameters.To improve the accuracy of quantitative precipitation estimation for the FR event,a modified second-degree polynomial relation between the shapeμand slopeΛof gamma DSDs is derived,and a new Z-R(radar reflectivity to rain rate)relationship is developed.The mean values of mass-weighted mean diameters(D_(m))and generalized intercepts(lgN_(w))in FR are close to the stratiform results in the northern region of China.Both the melting of tiny-rimed graupels and large-dry snowflakes are a response to the formation of this regional FR process in the JHP,dominated by the joint influence of the physical mechanism of warm rain,vapor deposition,and aggregation/riming coupled with the effect of weak convective motion in some periods.

Resurvey After 20 Years:Updating the Distribution,Population,and Potential Threats of the Chinting Alpine Toad

Considering the increased anthropogenic impacts,species with a limited range and low detectability often lack fundamental information and conservation actions,placing them at a high risk of endangerment.The Chinting alpine toad Scutiger chintingensis is a rare mountain amphibian endemic to the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau in China.Within its whole distribution range,only three known populations(Wolong,Emei,and Wawu)exist and no recent population status report has been documented for this species over the past two decades.From 2020 to 2023,we investigated the species distribution,and assessed the risk factors for the main populations.We recorded this species in all distribution areas,and updated a new distribution site with a lower elevation limit.The relative population density was 0.024±0.012 ind./m^(2)on Mount Emei,whereas only 0.008±0.017 ind./m^(2)on Mount Wawu.No significant difference was observed in the number of individuals between the two populations;however,the relative population density was significantly different.Sewage and waste discharge resulting from the construction of scenic areas,as well as disturbances from tourism,were the primary anthropogenic factors that influenced the survival of this species.Our results provide the updated information on the distribution and population status of the Chinting alpine toad,and suggest that unrecorded populations,as well as a wider elevation range,may exist for this species.Our findings emphasise the importance of timely updates of species distribution and population information and offer a basis for the future conservation of endangered amphibians.

Fractal features of size distribution of Chinese intercity bus hubs

Size distribution characteristics of intercity bus hubs in China from 1997 to 2（104 were analyzed regarding highway passenger volume as a size index of intercity bus hubs. Yearly fractal dimensions of intercity bus hub sizes were exactly calculated by a novel model. Fractal dimensions of the 200 biggest intercity bus hubs from 2000 to 2004 were 1. 486 2 to 1. 511 8, and that is consistent with fractal dimensions of Chinese urban system sizes. It showed that the size distribution of intercity bus hubs had fractal structure. Fractal dimensions from 1997 to 2004 indicated that intercity bus hub size distribution grew from bi-fractal to single fractal. It is concluded that the intercity bus hub system is in evolutionary progress, and the Central Government should support large intercity bus hubs more to optimize system structure.

Ion dynamics into different pore size distributions in supercapacitors under compression

Compressing supercapacitor(SCs)electrode is essential for improving the energy storage characteristics and minimizing ions’distance travel,faradaic reactions,and overall ohmic resistance.Studies comprising the ion dynamics in SC electrodes under compression are still rare.So,the ionic dynamics of five aqueous electrolytes in electrodes under compression were studied in this work for tracking electrochemical and structural changes under mechanical stress.A superionic state is formed when the electrode is compressed until the micropores match the dimensions with the electrolyte’s hydrated ion sizes,which increases the capacitance.If excessive compression is applied,the accessible pore regions decrease,and the capacitance drops.Hence,as the studied hydrated ions have different dimensions,the match between ion/pore sizes differs.To the LiOH and NaClO4electrolytes,increasing the pressure from 60 to 120 and 100 PSI raised the capacitance from 13.5 to 35.2 F g^(-1)and 30.9 to 39.0 F g^(-1),respectively.So,the KOH electrolyte with the lowest and LiCl with the biggest combination of hydrated ion size have their point of maximum capacitance(39.5 and 36.7F g^(-1))achieved at 140 and 80 PSI,respectively.To LiCl and KCl electrolytes,overcompression causes a drop in capacitance higher than 23%.

Statistical Characteristics of Raindrop Size Distribution in the South China Monsoon Region(Guangdong Province)

While heavy rainfall frequently takes place in southern China during summer monsoon seasons,quantitative precipitation forecast skills are relatively poor.Therefore,detailed knowledge about the raindrop size distribution(DSD)is useful in improving the quantitative precipitation estimation and forecast.Based on the data during 2018-2022 from 86stations in a ground-based optical disdrometer measurement network,the characteristics of the DSD in Guangdong province are investigated in terms of the particle size distribution(N(D)),mass-weighted mean diameter(Dm) and other integral DSD parameters such as radar reflectivity(Z),rainfall rate(R) and liquid water content(LWC).In addition,the effects of geographical locations,weather systems(tropical cyclones,frontal systems and the summer monsoon) and precipitation types on DSD characteristics are also considered.The results are shown as follows.1) Convective precipitation has a broader N(D) and larger mean particle diameter than the stratiform precipitation,and the DSD observations in Guangdong are consistent with the three-parameter gamma distribution.The relationships between the Z and R for stratiform and convective precipitation are also derived for the province,i.e.,Z=332.34 R1.32and Z=366.26R1.42which is distinctly different from that of the Next-generation Weather Radar(NEXRAD) Z-R relationship in United States.2) In the rainy season(April-September),the Dm, R and LWC are larger than those in the dry season(OctoberMarch).Moreover the above parameters are larger,especially in mid-May,which is the onset of the South China Sea summer monsoon.3) The spatial analysis of DSD shows that the coastal station observations indicate a smaller Dmand a larger normalized intercept parameter(log10Nw),suggestive of maritime-like rainfall.Dmis larger and log10Nwis smaller in the inland area,suggestive of continental-like rainfall.4) Affected by such weather systems as the tropical cyclone,frontal system and summer monsoon,the DSD shows characteristics with distinct differences.Furthermore,frontal system rainfall tends to present a continental-like rainfall,tropical cyclone rainfall tends to have a maritime-like rainfall,and summer monsoon rainfall characteristic are between maritime-and continental-like cluster(raindrop concentration and diameter are higher than continental cluster and maritime cluster,respectively.)

Freely accessible inventory and spatial distribution of large-scale landslides in Xianyang City,Shaanxi Province,China

In this study, we used high-resolution optical satellite images on the Google Earth platform to map large-scale landslides in Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province, China. After mapping, a comprehensive and detailed large-scale landslide inventory that contains 2 924 large-scale landslides was obtained. We analyzed the spatial distribu-tion of landslides with seven influencing factors, including elevation, slope angle, aspect, curvature, lithology, distance to a river, and distance to the fault. Landslide Number, Landslide Area, Landslide Number Density(LND), and Landslide Area Percentage(LAP) were selected as indexes for the spatial distribution analysis. The results show that the number and area of landslides in the elevation range of 1 000–1 200 m is the highest. The highest number of landslides was observed in the slope angle of 25°–30°. North-facing slopes are prone to sliding. The area and number of landslides are the largest when the slope curvature ranges from-1.28 to 0. The LND and LAP reach their maxima when the slope curvature is less than-2.56. Areas covered by the Tertiary stratum with weakened fine-grained sandstone and siltstone show the highest LND and LAP values. Regarding distance to a river, the LAP peaks in the range of 300–600 m, whereas the LND peaks in an area larger than 2100 m. The values of LND and LNP rise as the distance from the faults increases, except for the locations 30 km away from active faults. This phenomenon is because active faults in this area pass through the plain areas, while landslides mostly occur in mountainous areas. The cataloging of landslide development in Xianyang City provides a significant scientific foundation for future research on landslides. In addition, the spatial distribution results are useful for landslide hazard prevention decisions and provide valuable references in this area.

Species and Distribution Characteristics of Alien Invasive Plants in Garden Greenbelt of Shijiazhuang City

[Objectives]The paper was to investigate the garden greenbelt in 30 sample plots such as parks,roads,communities,etc.in Shijiazhuang City.[Methods]The species,abundance and frequency of weeds in the greenbelt of public gardens were recorded through point-line-surface investigation,and typical plants were sampled.[Results]There were 56 species of alien invasive plants in garden greenbelts of Shijiazhuang City,belonging to 44 genera and 20 families.In terms of life form,herbaceous plants were absolutely dominant,accounting for 92.8%of the total.The most alien invasive plants were native to America,accounting for 66.1%of the total.In terms of introduction path,the plants introduced artificially and unintentionally accounted for almost half.The species and quantity of alien invasive plants were related to the size of greenbelt area,the length of the build time of the surveyed plot,the composition structure of greenbelt and the level of green management and protection.There was larger distribution of alien invasive plants in the sample plots with large greenbelt area,long build time,herbaceous-dominated greenbelt and low level of green management and protection.Among the 56 alien invasive plants,3 plants were toxic.From the perspective of invasiveness,the alien invasive plants in the garden greenbelt of Shijiazhuang City could be divided into 5 levels:invasive alien species of malignant consequences,invasive alien species of severe consequences,invasive alien species of partial consequences,invasive alien species of average consequences,and invasive alien species to be observed.[Conclusions]This study will provide a reference for the prevention and control of alien plant invasion,and lay a foundation for the prevention and control of existing invasive plants.

Raindrop Size Distribution Measurements at High Altitudes in the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau during Summer

Characteristics of raindrop size distribution during summer are studied by using the data from six Parsivel disdrometers located in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau.The analysis focuses on convective and stratiform precipitation at high altitudes from 2434 m to 4202 m.The results show that the contribution of stratiform and convective precipitation with rain rate between 1≤R<5 mm h^(-1) to the total precipitation increases with altitude,and the raindrop scale and number concentration of convective precipitation is larger than that for stratiform precipitation.The droplet size spectra of both stratiform and convective precipitation shows a single peak with a peak particle size between 0.31–0.50 mm,and they have essentially the same peak particle size and number concentration at the same altitude.The maximum spectral widths of stratiform clouds are between 4 mm and 5 mm,while those of convective clouds range from 4 mm to 8 mm.The Gamma distribution is more suitable than the Marshall-Palmer distribution in terms of the actual raindrop spectrum distribution.The stratiform precipitation particles are smaller with higher number concentration,while the opposite is true for the convective precipitation particles.The convective precipitation particles drop faster than stratiform precipitation particles when the particle size exceeds 2 mm,and the falling velocity of raindrops after standard curve fitting is underestimated during the observation period.Moreover,conventional radar estimation methods would underestimate the precipitation in the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau.

Study on Distribution Characteristics and Occurrence Form of Soil Fluorine in Sorghum Base of Renhuai City

In order to find out the effects of soil fluorine on ecological environment and crop safety in the sorghum cultivation base of Renhuai City, Guizhou Province, the content and the occurrence forms of soil fluorine and its influencing factors of Maoba Town were investigated and studied. The results showed that the total fluorine content in the soil of the sorghum base ranged from 668.60 to 2 596.80 mg/kg, with an average of 1 483.25 mg/kg, which was 3.10 and 1.85 times of the national soil background value and the average value of the soil in endemic areas, respectively. The spatial distribution of fluorine in the soil of the study area was uneven, and the fluorine content was in the order of Anliang Village>Yangliu Village>Houba Village>Xiongfeng Village. The soil fluorine contents of various forms varied greatly, and the distribution law was as follows: residual state>water soluble state>organically bound state>exchangeable state>Fe/Mn-F state. The residual fluorine content was the highest, accounting for more than 99% of total fluorine content, while the sum of other four forms was less than 1%, with their respective proportions ranging from 0.10% to 0.30%. The content and proportion of available fluorine in water-soluble and exchangeable states were relatively low, which had limited influence on the surrounding water environment and crop safety. The physicochemical properties of soil, such as pH, organic matter, cation exchange capacity and clay particles had a certain influence on the occurrence forms of soil fluorine, thus changing the availability and migration of soil fluorine, which might endanger the ecological environment safety, food safety and human health.

Distribution of Cu and Pb in particle size fractions of urban soils from different city zones of Nanjing, China

Soil samples from 4 defined city zones of Nanjing were randomly collected at 0-5 cm and 5-20 cm intervals and size fractions of soil particles were separated from undisturbed bulk soils by low energy dispersion procedure. The total contents of Cu and Pb in the different particle size fractions of the urban soils were analyzed by HNO3-HF-HClO4 digestion and flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer determination. The total content of Cu and Pb in soil particle size fractions varied with their size and with city zones as well. Both the content and variation with the size fractions of Pb was bigger than of Cu supporting our previous finding that there was Pb pollution to different degrees in the urban soils although the two elements were generally enriched in clay-sized fraction. Contaminated Pb tended to be preferentially enriched in the size fraction of 2000-250 μm and clay-sized fraction. While the size fractions of the soils from newly developed and preserved area contained smaller amount of Cu and Pb, the partitioning of them in coarse and fine particle size fractions were insignificant compared to that from inner residence and commercial area. The very high Pb level over 150 mg/kg of the fine particle fractions from the soils of the inner city could be a cause of high blood Pb level reported of children from the city as acute exposure to Pb of fine particles of the urban soil might occur by soil ingestion and inhalation by young children. Thus, much attention should be paid to the partitioning of toxic metals in fine soil particles of the urban soils and countermeasures against high health risk of Pb exposure by soil ingestion and dust inhalation should be practiced against the health problem of blood Pb for young children from the cities.

City Size Distribution and Its Spatiotemporal Evolution in China

Based on the National Land Use/Cover Database of China(NLUD-C) in the end of the 1980s(the 1980s,hereafter), 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010, 665 cities were selected to study the size distribution and its changes of urban lands in China. In this study, the spatiotemporal evolutions of urban land size distribution as well as the influence of administrative-level on these cities were explored by combining urban spatial positions and administrative-levels. Results indicate that: 1) City size distribution using urban lands was more practical and reasonable than using non-agricultural population. 2) In the 1980s, cities with ascending urban land rank were centralized in Eastern China, specially the Changjiang(Yangtze) River Delta, the Zhujiang(Pearl) River Delta, and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Cities in Central, Western, and Northeast China mainly indicated descending urban land rank. 3) The transfer of national development focus resulted in cities with ascending urban land rank becoming evenly distributed nationwide; however, this trend was slightly centralized around Chengdu, Chongqing, and Wuhan in different periods. 4) During the 1980s to 2010, the proportion of cities with ascending urban land rank in provincial capitals, municipalities, and special administrative regions(high-level cities, hereafter) was consistently higher than those in prefecture- and county-level cities except for 2005–2010. The ranks of the majority of the prefecture- and county-level cities were mainly descending, supported by ascending; the proportion of cities with unchanged rank is small. This study breaks through the bottleneck of traditional research in the area of city size distribution by examining urban land replacing the non-agricultural population. The current study also provides scientific explanation for the healthy and reasonable development of urban land as well as the coordinated development of population urbanization and land urbanization.