Soil physicochemical properties and vegetation structure along an elevation gradient and implications for the response of alpine plant development to climate change on the northern slopes of the Qilian Mountains

Elevation is one of key factors to affect changes in the environment, particularly changes in conditions of light, water and heat. Studying the soil physicochemical properties and vegetation structure along an elevation gradient is important for understanding the responses of alpine plants andtheir growing environment to climate change. In this study, we studied plant coverage, plant height, species richness, soil water-holding capacity, soil organic carbon(SOC) and total nitrogen(N) on the northern slopes of the Qilian Mountains at elevations from2124 to 3665 m. The following conclusions were drawn:(1) With the increase of elevation, plant coverage and species richness first increased and then decreased, with the maximum values being at 3177 m.Plant height was significantly and negatively correlated with elevation(r=–0.97, P<0.01), and the ratio of decrease with elevation was 0.82 cm·100 m-1.(2) Both soil water-holding capacity and soil porosity increased on the northern slopes of the Qilian Mountains with the increase of elevation. The soil saturated water content at the 0-40 cm depth first increased and then stabilized with a further increase of elevation, and the average ratio of increase was2.44 mm·100 m-1. With the increase of elevation, the average bulk density at the 0-40 cm depth first decreased and then stabilized at 0.89 g/cm3.(3) With the increase of elevation, the average SOC content at the 0-40 cm depths first increased and then decreased,and the average total N content at the 0-40 cm depth first increased and then stabilized. The correlation between average SOC content and average total N content reached significant level. According to the results of this study, the distribution of plants showed a mono-peak curve with increasing elevation on the northern slopes of the Qilian Mountains. The limiting factor for plant growth at the high elevation areas was not soil physicochemical properties, and therefore,global warming will likely facilitate the development of plant at high elevation areas in the Qilian Mountains.

Modeling the Risks of Climate Change and Global Warming to Humans Settled in Low Elevation Coastal Zones in Louisiana, USA

This paper seeks to identify high risk areas that are prone to flooding, caused by sea level rise because of high impacts of global climate change resulting from global warming and human settlements in low-lying coastal elevation areas in Louisiana, and model and understand the ramifications of predicted sea-level rise. To accomplish these objectives, the study made use of accessible public datasets to assess the potential risk faced by residents of coastal lowlands of Southern Louisiana in the United States. Elevation data was obtained from the Louisiana Statewide Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) with resolution of 16.4 feet (5 m) distributed by Atlas. The data was downloaded from Atlas website and imported into Environmental Systems Research Institute’s (ESRI’s) ArcMap software to create a single mosaic elevation image map of the study area. After mosaicking the elevation data in ArcMap, Spatial Analyst extension software was used to classify areas with low and high elevation. Also, data was derived from United States Geological Survey (USGS) Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and absolute sea level rise data covering the period 1880 to 2015 was acquired from United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website. In addition, population data from U.S. Census Bureau was obtained and coupled with elevation data for assessing the risks of the population residing in low lying areas. Models of population trend and cumulative sea level rise were developed using statistical methods and software were applied to reveal the national trends and local deviations from the trends. The trends of population changes with respect to sea level rise and time in years were modeled for the low land coastal parishes of Louisiana. The expected years for the populations in the study area to be at risk due to rising sea level were estimated by models. The geographic information systems (GIS) results indicate that areas of low elevation were mostly located along the coastal Parishes in the study area. Further results of the study revealed that, if the sea level continued to rise at the present rate, a population of approximately 1.8 million people in Louisiana’s coastal lands would be at risk of suffering from flooding associated with the sea level having risen to about 740 inches by 2040. The population in high risk flood zone was modeled by the following equation: y = 6.6667x - 12,864, with R squared equal to 0.9964. The rate of sea level rise was found to increase as years progressed. The slopes of models for data for time periods, 1880-2015 (entire data) and 1970-2015 were found to be, 4.2653 and 6.6667, respectively. The increase reflects impacts of climate change and land management on rate of sea level rise, respectively. A model for the variation of years with respect to cumulative sea level was developed for use in predicting the year when the cumulative sea level would equal the elevation above sea level of study area parishes. The model is given by the following equation: y = 0.1219x + 1944.1 with R square equal to 0.9995.

Glacier variations and their response to climate change in an arid inland river basin of Northwest China

Glaciers are a critical freshwater resource of river recharge in arid areas around the world.In recent decades,glaciers have shown evidence of retreat due to climate change,and the accelerated ablation of glaciers and associated impacts on water resources have received widespread attention.Glacier variations result from climate change,so they can serve as an indicator of climate change.Considering the climatic differences in different elevation ranges,it is worthwhile to explore whether different responses exist between glacier area and air temperature in each elevation zone.In this study,we selected a typical arid inland river basin(Sugan Lake Basin)in the western Qilian Mountains of Northwest China to analyze the glacier variations and their response to climate change.The glacier area data from 1989 to 2016 were delineated using Landsat Thematic Mapper(TM),Enhanced TM+(ETM+)and Operational Land Imager(OLI)images.We compared the relationships between glacier area and air temperature at seven meteorological stations in the glacier-covered areas and in the Sugan Lake Basin,and further analyzed the relationship between glacier area and mean air temperature of the glacier surfaces in July–August in the elevation range of 4700–5500 m a.s.l.by the linear regression method and correlation analysis.In addition,based on the linear regression relationship established between glacier area and air temperature in each elevation zone,we predicted glacier areas under future climate scenarios during the periods of 2046–2065 and 2081–2100.The results indicate that the glaciers experienced a remarkable shrinkage from 1989 to 2016 with a shrinkage rate of–1.61 km^2/a(–0.5%/a),and the rising temperature is the decisive factor dominating glacial retreat;there is a significant negative linear correlation between glacier area and mean air temperature of the glacier surfaces in July–August in each elevation zone from 1989 to 2016.The variations in glaciers are far less sensitive to changes in precipitation than to changes in air temperature.Due to the influence of climate and topographic conditions,the distribution of glacier area and the rate of glacier ablation first increased and then decreased in different elevation zones.The trend in glacier shrinkage will continue because air temperature will continue to increase in the future,and the result of glacier retreat in each elevation zone will be slightly slower than that in the entire study area.Quantitative glacier research can more accurately reflect the response of glacier variations to climate change,and the regression relationship can be used to predict the areas of glaciers under future climate scenarios.These conclusions can offer effective references for assessing glacier variations and their response to climate change in arid inland river basins in Northwest China as well as other similar regions in the world.

Remote Sensing-based Spatiotemporal Distribution of Grassland Aboveground Biomass and Its Response to Climate Change in the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region

The grassland in the Hindu Kush Himalayan(HKH) region is one of the large st and most biodiverse mountain grassland types in the world,and its ecosystem service functions have profound impacts on the sustainable development of the HKH region.Monitoring the spatiotemporal distribution of grassland aboveground biomass(AGB) accurately and quantifying its response to climate change are indispensable sources of information for sustainably managing grassland ecosystems in the HKH region.In this study,a pure vegetation index model(PVIM) was applied to estimate the long-term dynamics of grassland AGB in the HKH region during 2000-2018.We further quantified the response of grassland AGB to climate change(temperature and precipitation) by partial correlation and variance partitioning analyses and then compared their differences with elevation.Our results demonstrated that the grassland AGB predicted by the PVIM had a good linear relationship with the ground sampling data.The grassland AGB distribution pattern showed a decreasing trend from east to west across the HKH region except in the southern Himalayas.From 2000 to 2018,the mean AGB of the HKH region increased at a rate of 1.57 g/(m~2·yr) and ranged from 252.9(2000) to 307.8 g/m~2(2018).AGB had a positive correlation with precipitation in more than 80% of the grassland,and temperature was positively correlated with AGB in approximately half of the region.The change in grassland AGB was more responsive to the cumulative effect of annual precipitation,while it was more sensitive to the change in temperature in the growing season;in addition,the influence of climate varied at different elevations.Moreover,compared with that of temperature,the contribution of precipitation to grassland AGB change was greater in approximately 60% of the grassland,but the differences in the contribution for each climate factor were small between the two temporal scales at elevations over 2000 m.An accurate assessment of the temporal and spatial distributions of grassland AGB and the quantification of its response to climate change are of great significance for grassland management and sustainable development in the HKH region.

Climate change has more adverse impacts on the higher mountain communities than the lower ones: people’s perception from the northern Himalayas

The Himalayas are assumed to experience rapid climate change,with serious environmental,social and economic consequences for people living in and around the mountain area.However,the extent of climate change and its impact on the region are underexplored,especially on northern slope of the mountains.Based on local knowledge,we report perceived changes in climate and consequences of such changes for natural andsocial systems.The respondents in this study were distributed at a continuous elevation gradient of 3570-4646 m above sea level in the northern Himalayas.Therefore,it is possible to analyze the process of the shift of bioclimate zones under climate change and the differences in climate change effects cross altitudes.Among those in the pastoral area(Zhegu town)with an altitude of 4600 m,91.2%(n=114)of the respondents believe that the climate is obviously changing;the ratio of reporting rainfall decreasing is 77.2%(n=114);those who perceive delayed rainy season,and increased climate change-related natural disasters account for 38.9%(n=113),72.8%(n=103),respectively;more than two thirds(70.3%)(n=111)view drought as the biggest challenge to address climate change,and more than half(59.3%)(n=113)of the respondents believe that the impact of climate change is mainly negative.All these data rank first among the four survey areas(Zhegu town/pastoral region,Nedong County/crop growing regions,Zhanang County/crop growing region and Nagarze County/farming-pastoral region).Due to climate warming,Labidura riparia spreads to a higher altitude in the basins in Nedong County(Shannan City,Tibet)and Zhanang County(Shannan City,Tibet)at the rate of 31.1±6.4 m/a and 46.7±8.8 m/a,respectively in elevation.Most of the respondents view the natural variability as the main cause of climate changes,only 10.7%-29.0%among them view human activities as the main reason.Key challenges for local people to address climate change include droughts and economic hardship.Most local perceptions conform to scientific data.Comparative analysis of people’s perception of climate change impacts in different regions of the Himalayas will enhance the understanding of climate change effects on the whole region.

Quantifying glacial elevation changes in the central Qilian Mountains during the early 21^(st) century

Glaciers in the central Qilian Mountains provide important water resources for the arid Hexi corridor and Qaidam Basin;however,changes in these glaciers interact with climate change.Twenty-four bi-static image pairs of TerraSAR-X add-on for Digital Elevation Measurement(TanDEM-X)data,in addition to a Shuttle Radar Topography Mission-C/X band digital elevation model,and the technology of iterative differential synthetic aperture radar interferometry were used to carry out glacier elevation change analysis in the central Qilian Mountains in China during 2000–2014.Glacier elevation changed with an average rate of(−0.47±0.06)m yr^(−1),while changes in elevation of(−0.51±0.06)m yr^(−1) and(−0.44±0.06)m yr^(−1) were found in the northern(including the Zoulangnan,Tuolai,and Tuolainan mountains)and southern(including the Shulenan and Hark mountains)regions,respectively.Summer mean temperature has risen by 0.51℃(10 yr)^(−1)in the northern region and 0.48℃(10 yr)^(−1) in the southern region during 1989–2014;however,the change in amplitude of annual precipitation was 2.69 mm yr^(−1) in the northern region and 4.77 mm yr^(−1) in the southern region for the same period.These changes can be ascribed as major driving factors for the differences in the changes in glacial elevation in the northern and southern regions.Four types of glaciers existed in the region when considering the change in elevation of the glacial tongue and variation in the position of the glacial terminus:surging,advancing,intensively retreating,and slightly retreating glaciers.If elevation decreased more than 20 m on the part of glacier tongue,the glacier terminus position had commonly retreated more than 100 m.

Impact of Climate Change on Diseases of Crops and Their Management-A Review

Change in global climate is primarily due to rising concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that is mostly caused by human activities.The important factors affecting the occurrence and spread of the plant diseases are temperature,moisture,light,and CO_(2) concentration.These factors cause physiological changes in plants that result in increase in intensity of crop diseases.Climate change causes a significant impact on germination,reproduction,sporulation and spore dispersal of pathogens.Climate change affects all life stages of the pathogen as well as its host to cause impact on host-pathogen interaction which facilitates the emergence of new races of the pathogen ultimately breakdowns the host resistance.It also affects the microbial community in the soil which is beneficial to the plants in various aspects.The minor diseases become major ones due to alteration in climatic parameters thus posing a threat to the food security.

Divergent growth trends and climatic response of Picea obovata along elevational gradient in Western Sayan mountains, Siberia

In mountain ecosystems,plants are sensitive to climate changes,and an entire range of species distribution can be observed in a small area.Therefore,mountains are of great interest for climate–growth relationship analysis.In this study,the Siberian spruce’s(Picea obovata Ledeb.)radial growth and its climatic response were investigated in the Western Sayan Mountains,near the SayanoShushenskoe Reservoir.Sampling was performed at three sites along an elevational gradient:at the lower border of the species range,in the middle,and at the treeline.Divergence of growth trends between individual trees was observed at each site,with microsite landscape-soil conditions as the most probable driver of this phenomenon.Cluster analysis of individual tree-ring width series based on inter-serial correlation was carried out,resulting in two sub-set chronologies being developed for each site.These chronologies appear to have substantial differences in their climatic responses,mainly during the cold season.This response was not constant due to regional climatic change and the local influence of the nearby Sayano-Shushenskoe Reservoir.The main response of spruce to growing season conditions has a typical elevational pattern expected in mountains:impact of temperature shifts with elevation from positive to negative,and impact of precipitation shifts in the opposite direction.Chronologies of trees,growing under more severe micro-conditions,are very sensitive to temperature during September–April and to precipitation during October–December,and they record both inter-annual and long-term climatic variation.Consequently,it would be interesting to test if they indicate the Siberian High anticyclone,which is the main driver of these climatic factors.

Five decades of glacier changes in the Hulugou Basin of central Qilian Mountains, Northwest China

The Heihe River Basin is the second largest inland river basin in the arid regions of Northwest China. Glaciers provide a large proportion of water resources for human production and living. Studies of glacier changes and their impact on water resources in the arid lands are of vital importance. A joint expedition was carried out in 2010 for investigating glaciers in the Hulugou Basin, which is located in the upper reaches of Heihe River. There- fore, glacier changes in the Hulugou Basin of central Qilian Mountains during the past 50 years were analyzed in this study by comparing topographic maps, satellite images, digital elevation models and field observation data from different periods. Results showed that the total area of the 6 glaciers in the Hulugou Basin decreased by 0.590±0.005 km^2 during the period 1956-2011, corresponding to a loss of 40.7% over the total area in 1956. The average area reduction rate of the 6 glaciers is 0.011 km^2/a. During the past five decades, the glacier shrinkage was accelerated. The changes in glacier ice surface elevation ranged from -15 to 3 m with an average thinning of 10±8 m or an annual decrease of 0.23±0.18 m （0.20±0.15 m/a water equivalent） for the period 1956-2000. The area of Shiyi Glacier in the Hulugou Basin decreased from 0.64 km^2 in 1956 to 0.53 km2 in 2011 with a reduction rate of 17.2%. The Shiyi Glacier had been divided into two separated glaciers because of severe melting. Comparative analysis showed that glacier shrinkage in the Hulugou Basin is more serious than that in the other regions of Qilian Mountains.

Elevation gradient distribution of indices of tree population in a montane forest:The role of leaf traits and the environment

Background:To disentangle the controls on species distribution in the context of climate change is a central element in proposed strategies to maintain species diversity.However,previous studies have focused mainly on the roles of abiotic factors(e.g.,climate and soil properties),with much less attention given to the roles of biotic factors such as functional traits.Here,we measured eight leaf traits for 240 individual trees of 53 species and analyzed the variation in traits and population composition indices and their relationships with soil properties,climate factors,and leaf traits.Results:The tree density,frequency and species importance values of the overall species and saplings significantly increased with increasing elevation,while the same indices(except for species frequency)of adults did not significantly change.The largest percentage of variation of species importance value(greater than 50%)was explained by climate,but leaf traits played a critical role in driving elevation distribution patterns of both saplings and adults;the abundance of saplings significantly increased with elevation,with increased leaf carbon contents,while the abundance of adults did not change in accordance with a nutrient conservation strategy associated with the leaf economic spectrum.Conclusions:Our results suggest that the elevation gradient distribution of woody plant species is dependent on tree size and that local atmospheric humidity and leaf traits cause considerable variation in species distribution along subtropical mountain elevations.We provide evidence of which leaf traits play a key role in the elevation gradient distribution of different sizes of woody tree species.

Litter Decomposition of Emergent Plants along an Elevation Gradient in Wetlands of Yunnan Plateau,China

The decomposition of plant litter is a key process of litter decomposition to global climate warming in plateau in the flows of energy and nutrients in ecosystems. However, the response wetlands remains largely unknown. In this study, we conducted a one-year litter decomposition experiment along an elevation gradient from 1891 m to 3260 m on the Yurman Plateau of Southwest China, using different litter types to determine the influences of climate change, litter quality and microenvironment on the decomposition rate. The results showed that the average decomposition rate （K） increased from 0.608 to 1.152, and the temperature sensitivity of litter mass losses was approximately 4.98%/℃ along the declining elevation gradient. Based on a correlation analysis, N concentrations and C ： N ratios in the litter were the best predictors of the decomposition rate, with significantly positive and negative correlations, respectively. Additionally, the cumulative effects of decomposition were clearly observed in the mixtures of Scirpus tabernaemontani and Zizania caduciflora. Moreover, the litter decomposition rate in the water was higher than that in the sediment, especially in high-elevation areas where the microenvironment was significantly affected by temperature. These results suggest that future climate warming will have significant impacts on plateau wetlands, which have important fimctions in biogeochemical cycling in cold highland ecosystems.

Temperature trends and elevation dependent warming during 1965-2014 in headwaters of Yangtze River, Qinghai Tibetan Plateau

The understanding of temperature trends in high elevation mountain areas is an integral part of climate change research and it is critical for assessing the impacts of climate change on water resources including glacier melt, degradation of soils, and active layer thickness. In this study, climate changes were analyzed based on trends in air temperature variables(Tmax, Tmin, Tmean), and Diurnal Temperature Range(DTR) as well as elevation-dependent warming at annual and seasonal scales in the Headwaters of Yangtze River(HWYZ), Qinghai Tibetan Plateau. The Base Period(1965-2014) was split into two subperiods;Period-Ⅰ(1965-1989) and Period-Ⅱ(1990-2014) and the analysis was constrained over two subbasins;Zhimenda and Tuotuohe. Increasing trends were found in absolute changes in temperature variables during Period-Ⅱ as compared to Period-Ⅰ.Tmax, Tmin, and Tmean had significant increasing trends for both sub-basins. The highest significant trends in annual time scale were observed in Tmin(1.15℃ decade-1) in Tuotuohe and 0.98℃ decade-1 in Zhimenda sub-basins. In Period-Ⅱ, only the winter season had the highest magnitudes of Tmax and Tmin0.58℃ decade-1 and 1.26℃ decade-1 in Tuotuohe subbasin, respectively. Elevation dependent warming analysis revealed that Tmax, Tmin and Tmean trend magnitudes increase with the increase of elevations in the middle reaches(4000 m to 4400 m) of the HWYZ during Period-Ⅱ annually. The increasing trend magnitude during Period-Ⅱ, for Tmax, is 1.77, 0.92, and 1.31℃ decade-1, for Tmin 1.20, 1.32 and 1.59℃ decade-1,for Tmean 1.51, 1.10 and 1.51℃ decade-1 at elevations of4066 m, 4175 m and 4415 m respectively in the winter season. Tmean increases during the spring season for> 3681 m elevations during Period-Ⅱ, with no particular relation with elevation dependency for other variables. During the summer season in Period Ⅱ, Tmax, Tmin, Tmean increases with the increase of elevations(3681 m to 4415 m) in the middle reaches of HWYZ. Elevation dependent warming(EDW), the study concluded that magnitudes of Tmin are increasing significantly after the 1990s as compared to Tmax in the HWYZ. It is concluded that the climate of the HWYZ is getting warmer in both sub-basins and the rate of warming was more evident after the 1990s. The outcomes of the study provide an essential insight into climate change in the region and would be a primary index to select and design research scenarios to explore the impacts of climate change on water resources.

Mangrove swamp expansion controlled by climate since 1988:a case study in the Nanliu River Estuary,Guangxi,Southwest China

In the Nanliu River Estuary of Guangxi, China, the naturally expanding process of a mangrove swamp（primarily consist of Aegiceras corniculatum） over past decades is studied by satellite images. From 1988 to2013, the area of studied mangrove swamp increased significantly from 60 hm2 to 134 hm2. The expanding process is not gradual and the significant expansion only took place in some special periods. To reveal the dynamic of mangrove swamp expansion, the evolution of tidal flat elevation and the climate change in past decades are studied respectively. The hydrodynamic condition and nutrient supply are also analysed. The study results show that the climate factors of typhoon intensity and annual minimum temperature are crucial for controlling mangrove expansion. A large number of mangrove seedlings on bare tidal flats can survive only in special climate optimum periods, which are continuous years of low typhoon intensity and high annual minimum temperature. In past decades, the scarcity of climate optimum periods resulted in a non-gradual process of mangrove expanding and a time lag of 30 years between the elevation reaching the low threshold for mangrove seedling survival and the eventual emergance of the mangrove. Compared with the climate factors,the hydrodynamic condition and nutrient supply are not important factors affecting mangrove expansion. In the future, combined with global warming, the enhanced frequency and energy of landing typhoons will most likely restrain the further expansion of this mangrove swamp.

Warming induced changes in wood matter accumulation in tracheid walls of spruce

The warming-driven increase of the vegetation season length impacts both net productivity and phenology of plants, changing an annual carbon cycle of terrestrial ecosystems. To evaluate this influence, tree growth along the temperature gradients can be investigated on various organization levels, beginning from detailed climatic records in xylem cells’ number and morphometric parameters. In this study, the Borus Ridge of the Western Sayan Mountains(South Siberia) was considered as a forest area under rapid climate change caused by massive Sayano-Shushenskoe reservoir. Several parameters of the xylem anatomical structure in Siberian spruce(Picea obovata Ledeb.)were derived from normalized tracheidograms of cell radial diameter and cell wall thickness and analyzed during 50 years across elevational gradient(at 520,960, and 1320 m a.s.l.). On the regional scale, the main warming by 0.42°C per decade occurs during cold period(November–March). Construction of the reservoir accelerated local warming substantially since 1980, when abrupt shift of the cold season temperature by 2.6°C occurred. It led to the vegetation season beginning 3-6 days earlier and ending 4-10 day later with more stable summer heat supply. Two spatial patterns were found in climatic response of maximal cell wall thickness:(1)temperature has maximal impact during 21-day period, and its seasonality shifts with elevation in tune with temperature gradient;(2) response to the date of temperature passing +9.5°C threshold is observed at two higher sites. Climate change yielded significantly bigger early wood spruce tracheids at all sites, but its impact on cell wall deposition process had elevational gradient: maximal wall thickness increased by 7.9% at the treeline, by 18.2% mid-range,and decreased by 4.9% at the lower boundary of spruce growth;normalized total cell wall area increased by 6.2%-6.8% at two higher sites but remained stable at the lowest one. We believe that these patterns are caused by two mechanisms of spruce secondary growth cessation: "emergency"induced by temperature drop versus "regular" one in warmer conditions. Therefore, autumn lengthening of growth season stimulated wood matter accumulation in tracheid walls mainly in cold environment,increasing role of boreal and mountain forests in carbon cycle.

Impact of Water Vapor on Elevation-dependent Climate Change

Elevation dependency amongst climate change signals has been found in major mountain ranges around the world,but the main factors causing this dependency have not been clarified.In this study,four different datasets of observation and reanalysis for China were used to examine the elevation dependency of climate change.A lack of consistency was found in dependency between warming magnitude and elevation across the Tibetan Plateau and China.However,a dependency of climate change on water vapor was detected whereby the temperature trend initially increased at low specific humidity,and then decreased as specific humidity increased.At ground level the maximum trend in temperature appeared in the specific humidity range 2.0–3.0 g kg^（-1）.This suggests that water vapor is a mediator of climate change and may be responsible for elevation-dependent climate change.

Coupling between the Changes in CO₂Concentration and Sediment Biogeochemistry in Mudflat of Salinas de San Pedro, California, USA

We investigated the effects of elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) on biogeochemistry of marsh sediment including speciation of selected heavy metals in Salinas de San Pedro mudflat in California. The Salinas de San Pedro mudflat has higher carbon (C) content than the vast majority of fully-vegetated salt marshes even with the higher tidal action in the mudflat. Sources for CO2 were identified as atmospheric CO2 as well as due to local fault degassing process. We measured carbon dioxide, methane, total organic carbon, dissolved oxygen, salinity, and heavy metal concentration in various salt marsh locations. Overall, our results showed that CO2 concentration ranging from 418.7 to 436.9 (ppm), which are slightly different in various chambers but are in good agreement with some heavy metal concentrations values in mudflat at or around the same location. The selected metal concentration values (ppm) ranging from 0.003 - 0.011 (As);0.001 - 0.005 (Cd);0.04 - 0.02 (Cr);0.13 - 0.38 (Cu);0.11 - 0.38 (Pb);0.0009 - 0.020 (Se);and 0.188 - 0.321 (Zn). The low dissolved oxygen (ppm) in the pore water sediment indicated suboxic environment. Additionally, CO2 (ppm) and loss on ignition (LOI) (%) correlated inversely;the higher CO2 content, the lower was the LOI (%);that is to say the excess CO2 causes higher rates of decomposition and therefore it leads to lower LOI (%) on the mudflat surface. It appears that the elevated CO2 makes changes in salt marsh pore water chemistry for instance the free ionic metal (Cu2+, Pb2+, etc.) speciation is one of the most reactive form because simply assimilated by the non-decayed or alive organisms in sediment of salt marsh and/or in water. This means that CO2 not only is a sign of improvement in plant productivity, but also activates microbial decomposition through increases in dissolved organic carbon availability. CO2 also increases acidification processes such as anaerobic degradation of microorganism and oxidation of reduced components. The heavy metal concentrations in sediment samples were slightly higher in suboxic layer, yet it appears that salt marsh sediments in Salinas de San Pedro act like a sink for nutrient and carbon by maximizing carbon sequestration.

Interactive Effects of Elevated CO_2 and Temperature on Rice Planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens

It is predicted that the current atmospheric CO2 concentration will be doubled and global mean temperature will increase by 1.5-6＆#176;C by the end of this century. Although a number of studies have addressed the separate effects of CO2 and temperature on plant-insect interactions, few have concerned with their combined impacts. In the current study, a factorial experiment was carried out to examine the effect of a doubling CO2 concentration and a 3℃ temperature increase on a complete generation of the brown planthopper （Nilaparvata lugens） on rice （Oryza sativa）. Both elevated CO2 and temperature increased rice stem height and biomass of stem parts. Leaf chlorophyll content increased under elevated CO2, but only in ambient temperature treatment. Water content of stem parts was reduced under elevated temperature, but only when coupled with elevated CO2. Elevated CO2 alone increased biomass of root and elevated temperature alone enhanced leaf area and reduced ratio of root to stem parts. Brown planthopper （BPH） nymphal development was accelerated, and weight of and honeydew excretion by the F1 adults was reduced under elevated temperature only. Longevity of brachypterous females was affected by a signiifcant interaction between CO2 and temperature. At elevated temperature, CO2 had no effect on female longevity, but at ambient temperature, the females lived shorter under elevated CO2. Female fecundity was higher at elevated than at ambient temperature and higher at elevated CO2 than at ambient CO2. These results indicate that the combined effects of elevated temperature and CO2 may enhance the brown planthopper population size.

Effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 and nitrogen fertilization on nitrogen cycling in experimental riparian wetlands

Studies on the relationship between plant nitrogen content and soil nitrogen reduction under elevated CO2 conditions and with different nitrogen additions in wetland ecosystems are lacking. This study was meant to assess the effects of elevated CO2 concentrations and inorganic nitrogen additions on soil and plant nitrogen cycling. A cultured riparian wetland, alligator weeds, and two duplicated open top chambers （OTCs） with ambient （380μmol/mol） and elevated （700 μmol/mol） CO2 concentrations at low （4 mg/L） and high （6 mg/L） nitrogen fertilization levels were used. The total plant biomass increased by 30.77% and 31.37% at low and high nitrogen fertilization levels, respectively, under elevated CO2 conditions. Plant nitrogen content decreased by 6.54% and 8.86% at low and high nitrogen fertilization levels, respectively. The coefficient of determination （R2） of soil nitrogen contents ranged from 0.81 to 0.96. Under elevated CO2 conditions, plants utilized the assimilated inorganic nitrogen （from the soil） for growth and other internal physiological transformations, which might explain the reduction in plant nitrogen content. A reduction in soil dissolved inorganic nitrogen （DIN） under elevated CO2 conditions might have also caused the reduction in plant nitrogen content. Reduced plant and soil nitrogen contents are to be expected due to the potential exhaustive use of inorganic nitrogen by soil microorganisms even before it can be made available to the soil and plants. The results from this study provide important information to help policy makers make informed decisions on sustainable management of wetlands. Larger-scale field work is recommended in future research.

Effect of elevated [CO_2] and nutrient management on wet and dry season rice production in subtropical India

The present experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of elevated [CO_2] with varying nutrient management on rice–rice production system. The experiment was conducted in the open field and inside open-top chambers(OTCs) of ambient [CO_2](≈ 390 μmol L-1) and elevated [CO_2] environment(25% above ambient) during wet and dry seasons in 2011–2013at Kharagpur, India. The nutrient management included recommended doses of N, P, and K as chemical fertilizer(CF), integration of chemical and organic sources, and application of increased(25% higher) doses of CF. The higher [CO_2] level in the OTC increased aboveground biomass but marginally decreased filled grains per panicle and grain yield of rice, compared to the ambient environment. However, crop root biomass was increased significantly under elevated [CO_2]. With respect to nutrient management, increasing the dose of CF increased grain yield significantly in both seasons. At the recommended dose of nutrients, integrated nutrient management was comparable to CF in the wet season, but significantly inferior in the dry season, in its effect on growth and yield of rice. The [CO_2] elevation in OTC led to a marginal increase in organic C and available P content of soil, but a decrease in available N content. It was concluded that increased doses of nutrients via integration of chemical and organic sources in the wet season and chemical sources alone in the dry season will minimize the adverse effect of future climate on rice production in subtropical India.

Climate change implications of soil temperature in the Mojave Desert, USA

Soil temperature plays an important role in physical, biological, and microbiological processes occur- ring in the soil, but it is rarely reported as an indicator of climate change. A long-term soil temperature database, collected in the Mojave Desert region from 1982-2000, was used to examine the relationship between regional climate change and soil temperature. During this 19-year study period, there was a warming trend in the Mojave Desert region. The soil temperature in this region, measured at 50-cm deep, increased at an average rate of 0.79℃ per decade. The temporal changes of soil temperature and those of air temperature were highly correlated. Elevation was the dominating factor that affected the spatiotemporal variations of soil and air temperature.