Assessing impact of climate change on forest cover type shifts in Western Himalayan Eco-region

Climate is a critical factor affecting forest ecosystems and their capacity to produce goods and services. Effects of climate change on forests depend on ecosystem-specific factors including dimensions of climate （temperature, precipitation, drought, wind etc.）. Available infor- mation is not sufficient to support a quantitative assessment of the eco- logical, social and economic consequences. The present study assessed shifts in forest cover types of Western Himalayan Eco-region （700-4 500 m）. 100 randomly selected samples （75 for training and 25 for testing the model）, genetic algorithm of rule set parameters and climatic envelopes were used to assess the distribution of five prominent forest cover types （Temperate evergreen, Tropical semi-evergreen, Temperate conifer, Sub- tropical conifer, and Tropical moist deciduous forests）. Modelling was conducted for four different scenarios, current scenario, changed precipi- tation （8% increase）, changed temperature （1.07℃ increase）, and both changed temperature and precipitation. On increasing precipitation a downward shift in the temperate evergreen and tropical semi-evergreen was observed, while sub-tropical conifer and tropical moist-deciduous forests showed a slight upward shift and temperate conifer showed ＇no shift. On increasing temperatm＇e, an upward shift in all forest types was observed except sub-tropical conifer forests without significant changes. When both temperature and precipitation were changed, the actual dis- tribution was maintained and slight upward shift was observed in all the forest types except sub-tropical conifer. It is important to understand the likely impacts of the projected climate change on the forest ecosystems, so that better management and conservation strategies can be adopted for the biodiversity and forest dependent community. Knowledge of impact mechanisms also enables identification and mitigation of some of the conditions that increase vulnerability to climate change in the forest sector.

Stand development patterns of forest cover types in the natural forests of northern Baekdudaegan in South Korea

The purpose of this study was to classify current forest cover types,and to investigate stand development patterns for natural forests in six areas in northern Baekdudaegan,South Korea.Twenty-eight independent forest communities were aggregated into eight forest cover types by species composition in the overstory of each forest community.The forest cover types were of mixed mesophytic,‘‘others’ ’ deciduous,Quercus mongolica dominant,Q.mongolica pure,Pinus densiflora–Q.mongolica,P.densiflora,Betula ermanii,and Q.mongolica–P.koraiensis.The ecological information was organized by importance value and species diversity for each forest type.Based on the correlation between species diversity index and the abundance of Q.mongolica plus P.densiflora for corresponding forest cover types,we compared the developmental process and approximate successional pathway between each cover type.The P.densiflora forest cover type changes into the P.densiflora–Q.mongolica cover type,followed by the Q.mongolica dominant cover type through continuous invasion of the oak trees.Furthermore,the Q.mongolica pure cover type would spread toward the Q.mongolica dominant cover type with a mixture of various deciduous tree species.The Q.mongolica dominant cover type progresses through the other deciduous cover types to the mixed mesophytic cover type with diversified composition and structure.On the mid to lower slopes,with loamy soils and good moisture conditions,various deciduous forest types should progress,by ecological succession,toward the mixed mesophytic cover type without any further disturbance.

Response of species and stand types to snow/wind damage in a temperate secondary forest,Northeast China

Snow/wind damage is one of the important natural disturbances in forest ecosystems,especially in a montane secondary forest.However,the effects of snow/wind damage remain unclear which affects the management of these forests.Therefore,we investigated the responses of species,individual tree traits and stand structure to snow/wind damage in a montane secondary forest.Results show that,amongst the canopy trees,Betula costata exhibited the most uprooting,bending and overall damage ratio(the number of damaged stems to the total number of stems in a plot); Quercus mongolica showed the highest breakage ratio and Fraxinus mandshurica and Juglans mandshurica the least overall damage ratios.Among the subcanopy trees,Carpinus cordata,Acer mono,Acer tegmentosum and Acer pseudo-sieboldianum showed the least uprooting and breakage,and the most bending damage.A.pseudo-sieboldianum demonstrated the lowest breakage and highest bending damage ratios.Thesefindings indicate that different species have various sensitivities to snow/wind damage.Larger trees(taller,wider crowns) tend to break and become uprooted,while smaller trees are bent or remain undamaged,suggesting that tree characteristics significantly influence the types of damage from snow and wind.Stands of Q.mongolica and B.costata had the highest damage ratios,whereas A.pseudosieboldianum had the lowest snapping ratio.In summary,the severity and type of snow/wind damage are related to individual tree attributes and stand-level characteristics.Therefore,selection of suitable species(e.g.,shorter,smaller with deep root systems,hard wood,bending resistance and compression resistance) and appropriate thinning are recommended for planting in the montane secondary forests.

科尔沁沙地地表反照率遥感研究(英文)

The surface albedo which is affected by the earth surface coverage or other surface characteristics is one of the important factors impacting remote sensing image information and therefore it can be calculated by integrating land coverage types with information of remote sensing images.Horqin sand land which was taken as an experimental area for study on Landsat-TM topography and atmospheric correction,then the Landsat-TM data inversion formula established by Liang was used to calculate the experimental zone albedo map;correlation analysis was performed to the surface albedo map and the land-use maps which was acquired by supervision and classification.The results revealed significant relations between land-use types and the surface albedo of study area.Additionally,the surface albedo and NDVI of the study area were statistically analyzed to obtain the study area's surface albedo and NDVI dependent equation.

Spatio-temporal variations of vegetation carbon use efficiency and potential driving meteorological factors in the Yangtze River Basin

Understanding of the vegetation dynamics is essential for addressing the potential threats of terrestrial ecosystem.In recent years,the vegetation coverage of the Yangtze River Basin(YRB)has increased significantly,yet the spatio-temporal variations and potential driving meteorological factors of carbon use efficiency(CUE)under the context of global warming are still not clear.In this study,MODIS-based public-domain data during 2000–2015 was used to analyze these aspects in the YRB,a large river basin with powerful ecological functions in China.Spatio-temporal variations of CUE in different sub-basins and land cover types were investigated and the correlations with potential driving meteorological factors were examined.Results revealed that CUE in the YRB had strong spatiotemporal variability and varied remarkably in different land cover types.For the whole YRB,the average CUE of vegetated land was 0.519,while the long-term change trend of CUE was obscure.Along the rising altitude,CUE generally showed an increasing trend until the altitude of 3900 m and then followed by a decreasing trend.CUE of grasslands was generally higher than that of croplands,and then forest lands.The inter-annual variation of CUE in the YRB is likely to be driven by precipitation as a strong positive partial correlation between the inter-annual variability of CUE and precipitation was observed in most of sub-basins and land cover types in the YRB.The influence of temperature and relative humidity is also outstanding in certain regions and land cover types.Our findings are useful from the view point of carbon cycle and reasonable land cover management under the context of global warming.

Response of ecosystem service value to land use/cover change in the northern slope economic belt of the Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, China

Land use/cover change(LUCC)is becoming more and more frequent and extensive as a result of human activities,and is expected to have a major impact on human welfare by altering ecosystem service value(ESV).In this study,we utilized remote sensing images and statistical data to explore the spatial-temporal changes of land use/cover types and ESV in the northern slope economic belt of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,China from 1975 to 2018.During the study period,LUCC in the study region varied significantly.Except grassland and unused land,all the other land use/cover types(cultivated land,forestland,waterbody,and construction land)increased in areas.From 1975 to 2018,the spatial-temporal variations in ESV were also pronounced.The total ESV decreased by 4.00×10^(8) CNY,which was primarily due to the reductions in the areas of grassland and unused land.Waterbody had a much higher ESV than the other land use/cover types.Ultimately,understanding the impact of LUCC on ESV and the interactions among ESV of different land use/cover types will help improve existing land use policies and provide scientific basis for developing new conservation strategies for ecologically fragile areas.

Dynamics of NDVI and its influencing factors in the Chinese Loess Plateau during 2002-2018

Understanding the spatio-temporal changes of vegetation and its climatic control factors can provide an important theoretical basis for the protection and restoration of eco-environments.In this study,we analyzed the normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI)in the Chinese Loess Plateau(CLP)from 2002 to 2018 via trend analysis,stability analysis,and Mann-Kendall mutation test to investigate the change of vegetation.In addition,we also used the skewness analysis and correlation analysis to explore the contribution of climate change and human activities on regional vegetation changes.The results indicated that the overall increasing trend of NDVI from 2002 to 2018 was significant The areas showing increased NDVI were mainly distributed in the south-eastern CLP and the irrigation districts of the Yellow River to the north and west of the CLP,while the areas showing decreased NDVl were concentrated in the desert of the westem Ordos Plateau,Longzhong Loess Plateau,and the built-up and adjacent areas.Precipitation was the dominant factor contributing to vegetation growth in the CLP,while vegetation was less dependent onprecipitation in the irigation districts.The increasement of NDVI has led to a prolonged responsetime of vegetation to water stress and a lag effect of less than two months in the CLP.The effect of temperature on NDVI was not significant;significant negative correlations between NDVI and temperature were found only in the desert,the Guanzhong Plain,the southem Liupan Mountains,and the southeastem Taihang Mountains,owing to high temperatures,urban heat islands,and large cloud cover in mountainous areas.Affected by the"Grain for Green Program"(GGP),NDVIin the CLP increased from 2002 to 2018;however,the increasing trends of NDNI for differentvegetation cover types were significantly different owing to the difference in background status.The increasing contribution rate of NDVI in the CLP mainly came from crops and steppes.Urban not only led to the destruction of vegetation but also had radiation effect causing negative impact of NDVI around the cities.This resulted in the aggravation of the negative bias of NDVI with time in the CLP.The results provide a long-term perspective for regional vegetation protection and utilization in the CLP.

Multidimensional diversity of bird communities across spatial variation of land cover in Zoige on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Background:Spatial variation of land cover can result in the changes of community similarities and biotic homog-enization,whereby the increasing similarity would reduce the adaptive capacity of biotic assemblages to further disturbance,and degenerate ecosystem services they offer.However,it remains scarce to integrate multidimensional diversity for unveiling how variations in land cover may influence the patterns and processes of biotic homogeniza-tion in the Anthropocene.In this study,we examined how spatial variation of land cover could alter taxonomic,phy-logenetic and functional homogenization of bird communities simultaneously in a compound ecosystem of Zoige Marsh on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.Acting as the largest alpine marsh and peatland in the world,Zoige Marsh has undergone great changes in the land cover pattern due to climate change and anthropogenic activities.Methods:We conducted transect surveys for bird communities over six years(2014‒2019)during breeding sea-sons in four main land cover types(meadow,woodland,village and marsh),representing the spatial variation of land covers in the study area.We compared multidimensional diversity(taxonomic,phylogenetic and functional diver-sity)among land covers to assess the effects of spatial variation in land cover type on bird communities,particularly whether this variation has homogenized biotic communities.Results:Bird communities during breeding seasons were different and complementary in the four land covers.Taxonomic,phylogenetic and functional similarities were significantly lower in meadow than in the other three types,i.e.woodland,village and marsh.However,when we controlled for the effects of taxonomic similarities,the pattern of phylogenetic similarities almost reversed,with the highest standardized effect size(SES)phylogenetic similarity in meadow;and we found no significant difference in SES functional similarity among land covers.Conclusions:Our results suggest that spatial variation of land cover can play a crucial role in regulating multiple dimensions of bird diversity in Zoige Marsh.The findings indicate that taxonomic,phylogenetic and functional homogenization of bird communities may differently response to the variation of land covers.It thus highlights not only the relative roles of different land covers in maintaining biodiversity and community structures of birds,but also the urgency of retarding ecosystem degradations on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Classification of snow cover days in western China and comparison with satellite remote sensing data

The daily snow cover data from 232 meteorological stations to the west of 105°E in China for the period 1951-2004 were used to classify the snow cover and analyze decadal variations of snow cover types in western China, and comparison was made between the observational data and those retrieved from passive microwave remote sensing data （SMMR and SSM/I） in 1980-2004. The results show that stable snow-covered areas included northern Xinjiang, the Tianshan Mountains, and the eastern Tibetan Plateau with more than 60 snow cover days; no snow cover was found in the center of the southern Xinjiang Basin, the Sichuan Basin, and southern Yunnan. In addition to the above-mentioned, there were unstable snow-covered areas in western China. Furthermore, the snow cover types in northern Xinjiang, the Tianshan Mountains, the Hexi Corridor, and the vast areas from Chengdu to Kunming were unchanged. In the 1980s, the south-north dividing line between the major snow-covered area and snow-free area advanced to its most southern position. The snow cover days calculated from satellite remote sensing were generally longer than those from observational data in western China, mainly in the higher-altitude mountains, the Hexi Corridor, and the western Sichuan Plateau.

Urban surface heat fluxes infrared remote sensing inversion and their relationship with land use types

Using ASTER （Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer） infrared remote sensing data we inversed the parameters of urban surface heat fluxes applying the PCACA model and theoretical position algorithm, and then we analyzed the influence of different land use types on the surface heat fluxes and energy balance. In this study Kumagaya, a city in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, was selected as the experimental area. The result shows that the PCACA model is feasible for the surface heat fluxes estimation in urban areas because this model requires less parameters in the procedure of heat fluxes estimation in urban areas with complicated surface structure and can decrease the uncertainty. And we found that different land-use types have indicated the height heterogeneity on the surface heat fluxes significantly. The magnitudes of Bowen ratio in descending order are industrial, residential, transportation, institutional, dry farmland, green space, and water body. Under the same meteorological condition, there are distinct characteristics and regional differences in Bowen ratios among different surface covers, indicating higher sensible heat flux and lower latent heat flux in the urban construction land, while lower sensible heat flux and higher latent heat flux in the vegetation-covered area, the outskirt of the urban area. The increase of urban impervious surface area caused by the urban sprawl can enlarge the sensible heat flux and the Bowen ratio, so that it causes the increasing of urban surface temperature and air tem- perature, which is the mechanism of the so-called heat island effect.

Effects of forest cover type and ratio changes on runoff and its components

Changes in forest cover can affect not only the total runoff from a watershed,but also the runoff components(e.g.,surface runoff,interflow,groundwater flow).In this study,based on the WetSpa model simulation method and the recursive digital filtering(RDF)method,the Banchengzi watershed in the mountainous region of Beijing,China,was selected to investigate how changes in forest cover type and cover percentage affect total runoff,surface runoff,interflow,and groundwater flow through scenario settings.Our results show that the difference between the WetSpa model and the RDF method for separating runoff components is small,with only 4.7%and 0.4%difference between the calibration and validation periods.Total runoff in different forest types followed the order shrub forest>coniferous forest>mixed forest>broadleaf forest.Regarding runoff components,the proportions of baseflow(sum of interflow and groundwater flow)to total runoff were 61.1%and 60.8%for broadleaf and mixed forests,which was significantly higher than those of 53.0%and 43.1%for coniferous and shrub forests.However,the proportion of shrub forest baseflow was high in wet years,and that of broadleaf forest baseflow was high in normal and dry years.The proportions of interflow and groundwater flow from various forest cover types to total runoff continued to increase with increasing forest cover rate.Our results have important implications for the implementation of afforestation projects and forest conservation programs,contributing to water resource regulation and ecosystem protection in watersheds.

Koebe Type Theorems and Pre-Schwarzian of Harmonic K-quasiconformal Mappings,and Their Applications

In this article,we first establish an asymptotically sharp Koebe type covering theorem for harmonic K-quasiconformal mappings.Then we use it to obtain an asymptotically Koebe type distortion theorem,a coefficients estimate,a Lipschitz characteristic and a linear measure distortion theorem of harmonic K-quasiconformal mappings.At last,we give some characterizations of the radial John disks with the help of pre-Schwarzian of harmonic mappings.

陆地表层人类活动强度——概念、方法及应用（英文）

Human activity intensity is a synthesis index for describing the effects and influences of human activities on land surface. This paper presents the concept of human activity intensity of land surface and construction land equivalent, builds an algorithm model for human activity intensity, and establishes a method for converting different land use/cover types into construction land equivalent as well. An application in China based on the land use data from 1984 to 2008 is also included. The results show that China＇s human activity intensity rose slowly before 2000, while rapidly after 2000. It experienced an increase from 7.63% in 1984 to 8.54% in 2008. It could be generally divided into five levels： Very High, High, Medium, Low, and Very Low, according to the human activity intensity at county level in 2008, which is rated by above 27%, 16%-27%, 10%-16%, 6%-10%, and below 6%. China＇s human activity intensity was spatially split into eastern and western parts by the line of Helan Mountains-Longmen Mountains-Jinghong. The eastern part was characterized by the levels of Very High, High, and Medium, and the levels of Low and Very Low were zonally distributed in the mountainous and hilly areas. In contrast, the western part was featured by the Low and Very Low levels, and the levels of Medium and High were scattered in Gansu Hexi Corridor, the east of Qinghai, and the northern and southern slopes of Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang.

Estimation of Terrestrial Net Primary Productivity in China from Fengyun-3D Satellite Data

Currently,the satellite data used to estimate terrestrial net primary productivity(NPP)in China are predominantly from foreign satellites,and very few studies have based their estimates on data from China’s Fengyun satellites.Moreover,despite their importance,the influence of land cover types and the normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI)on NPP estimation has not been clarified.This study employs the Carnegie–Ames–Stanford approach(CASA)model to compute the fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation and the maximum light use efficiency suitable for the main vegetation types in China in accordance with the finer resolution observation and monitoring-global land cover(FROM-GLC)classification product.Then,the NPP is estimated from the Fengyun-3D(FY-3D)data and compared with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS)NPP product.The FY-3D NPP is also validated with existing research results and historical field-measured NPP data.In addition,the effects of land cover types and the NDVI on NPP estimation are analyzed.The results show that the CASA model and the FY-3D satellite data estimate an average NPP of 441.2 g C m^(−2) yr^(−1) in 2019 for China’s terrestrial vegetation,while the total NPP is 3.19 Pg C yr^(−1).Compared with the MODIS NPP,the FY-3D NPP is overestimated in areas of low vegetation productivity and is underestimated in high-productivity areas.These discrepancies are largely due to the differences between the FY-3D NDVI and MODIS NDVI.Compared with historical field-measured data,the FY-3D NPP estimation results outperformed the MODIS NPP results,although the deviation between the FY-3D NPP estimate and the in-situ measurement was large and may exceed 20%at the pixel scale.The land cover types and the NDVI significantly affected the spatial distribution of NPP and accounted for NPP deviations of 17.0%and 18.1%,respectively.Additionally,the total deviation resulting from the two factors reached 29.5%.These results show that accurate NDVI products and land cover types are important prerequisites for NPP estimation.

Statistical Estimation of High-Resolution Surface Air Temperature from MODIS over the Yangtze River Delta,China

High-resolution surface air temperature data are critical to regional climate modeling in terms of energy balance,urban climate change,and so on.This study demonstrates the feasibility of using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer（MODIS）land surface temperature（LST）to estimate air temperature at a high resolution over the Yangtze River Delta region,China.It is found that daytime LST is highly correlated with maximum air temperature,and the linear regression coefficients vary with the type of land surface.The air temperature at a resolution of 1 km is estimated from the MODIS LST with linear regression models.The estimated air temperature shows a clear spatial structure of urban heat islands.Spatial patterns of LST and air temperature differences are detected,indicating maximum differences over urban and forest regions during summer.Validations are performed with independent data samples,demonstrating that the mean absolute error of the estimated air temperature is approximately 2.5°C,and the uncertainty is about 3.1°C,if using all valid LST data.The error is reduced by 0.4°C（15%）if using best-quality LST with errors of less than 1 K.The estimated high-resolution air temperature data have great potential to be used in validating high-resolution climate models and other regional applications.