Elevational patterns of warming effects on plant community and topsoil properties: focus on subalpine meadows ecosystem

Climate warming profoundly affects plant biodiversity, community productivity, and soil properties in alpine and subalpine grassland ecosystems. However, these effects are poorly understood across elevational gradients in subalpine meadow ecosystems. To reveal the elevational patterns of warming effects on plant biodiversity, community structure, productivity, and soil properties, we conducted a warming experiment using open-top chambers from August 2019 to August 2022 at high(2764 m a. s. l.), medium(2631 m a. s. l.), and low(2544 m a. s. l.) elevational gradients on a subalpine meadow slope of Mount Wutai, Northern China. Our results showed that three years of warming significantly increased topsoil temperature but significantly decreased topsoil moisture at all elevations(P<0.05), and the percentage of increasing temperature and decreasing moisture both gradually raised with elevation lifting. Warming-induced decreasing proportions of soil organic carbon(SOC, by 19.24%), and total nitrogen(TN, by 24.56%) were the greatest at high elevational gradients. Experimental warming did not affect topsoil C: N, p H, NO_(3)^(-)-N, or NH_(4)^(+)-N at the three elevational gradients. Warming significantly increased species richness(P<0.01) and Shannon-Weiner index(P<0.05) at low elevational gradients but significantly decreased belowground biomass(P<0.05) at a depth of 0–10 cm at three elevational gradients. Warming caused significant increases in the aboveground biomass in the three elevational plots. Warming significantly increased the aboveground biomass of graminoids in medium(by 92.47%) and low(by 98.25%) elevational gradients, that of sedges in high(by 72.44%) and medium(by 57.16%) elevational plots, and that of forbs in high(by 75.88%), medium(by 34.38%), and low(by 74.95%) elevational plots. Species richness had significant linear correlations with SOC, TN, and C: N(P<0.05), but significant nonlinear responses to soil temperature and soil moisture in the warmed treatment(P<0.05). The warmed aboveground biomass had a significant nonlinear response to soil temperature and significant linear responses to soil moisture(P<0.05). This study provided evidence that altitude is a factor in sensitivity to climate warming, and these different parameters(e.g., plant species richness, Shannon-Weiner index, soil temperature, soil moisture, SOC, and TN) can be used to measure this sensitivity.

Warming effect of desert and its impact on oasis heat resources and agricultural productivity in arid land,China

This paper provides a positive view of the desert, in terms of the warming effect of deserts on oases and the impact of heat re- sources and agricultural production. We use data from experimental sites in the Manas River Basin in China to characterize these relationships. We note that the warming effect of the desert was found to be significant but gradually reduced with in- creased distance of the oasis from the desert. The range of wanning effect is about 100 km, and the improvement in tempera- ture is about 1.8 ℃. Due to this warming effect, the desert serves as the second heat source for the oasis, which represents one important aspect of the ecologic value of the desert. Our results also show the warming effect has a strong spatial impact on agricultural productivity. Crop productivity fell by about 49 kg/ha with every 10 km increase in distance away from the desert. Our results imply that crop suitability must correspond to the warming effect of the desert. More efficient use of heat resources can contribute towards achieving potential productivity.

Warming effects on permafrost ecosystem carbon fluxes controlled by plant nutrients

With the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,a recent study by the research group led by Prof.Yang Yuanhe(杨元合)from the Institute of Botany,Chinese Academy of Sciences shows that plant nutrients control the response of permafrost ecosystem carbon fluxes to warming。

Effect of Ocean Thermal Diffusivity on Global Warming Induced by Increasing Atmospheric CO_2

A global mean ocean model including atmospheric heating, heat capacity of the mixed layer ocean, and vertical thermal diffusivity in the lower ocean, proposed by Cess and Goldenberg (1981), is used in this paper to study the sensitivity of global warming to the vertical diffusivity. The results suggest that the behaviour of upper ocean temperature is mainly determined by the magnitude of upper layer diffusivity and an ocean with a larger diffusivity leads to a less increase of sea surface temperature and a longer time delay for the global warming induced by increasing CO2 than that with smaller one. The global warming relative to four scenarios of CO2 emission assumed by Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) is also estimated by using the model with two kinds of thermal diffusivities. The result shows that for various combinations of the CO2 emission scenarios and the diffusivities, the oceanic time delay to the global warming varies from 15 years to 70 years.

Modeling co-seismic thermal infrared brightness anomalies in petroliferous basins surrounding the North and East of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Co-seismic gas leakage usually occurs on the edge of seismic faults in petroliferous basins,and it may have an impact on the local environment,such as the greenhouse effect,which can cause thermal infrared brightness anomalies.Using wavelet transform and power spectrum estimation methods,we processed brightness temperature data from the Chinese geostationary meteorological satellite FY-C/E.We report similarities between the co-seismic thermal infrared brightness(CTIB)anomalies before,during and after earthquakes that occurred at the edges of the Sichuan,Tarim,Qaidam,and Junggar basins surrounding the North and East of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau in western China.Additionally,in each petroliferous basin,the area of a single CTIB anomaly accounted for 50%to 100%of the basin area,and the spatial distribution similarities in the CTIB anomalies existed before,during and after these earthquakes.To better interpret the similarities,we developed a basin warming effect model based on geological structures and topography.The model suggests that in a petroliferous basin with a subsurface gas reservoir,gas leakage could strengthen with the increasing stress before,during,and even after an earthquake.The accumulation of these gases,such as the greenhouse gases CH4 and CO2,results in the CTIB anomalies.In addition,we conclude that the CTIB anomalies are strengthened by the high mountains(altitude^5000 m)around the basins and the basins’independent climatic conditions.This work provides a new perspective from which to understand the CTIB anomalies in petroliferous basins surrounding the North and East of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.

Mesoscale Numerical Simulation Study of Warm Fog Dissipation by Salt Particles Seeding

Based on the dynamic framework of WRF and Morrison 2-moment explicit cloud scheme, a salt-seeding scheme was developed and used to simulate the dissipation of a warm fog event during 6–7 November 2009 in the Beijing and Tianjin area. The seeding effect and its physical mechanism were studied. The results indicate that when seeding fog with salt particles sized 80 μm and at a quantity of 6 gm^（-2） at the fog top, the seeding effect near the ground surface layer is negative in the beginning period, and then a positive seeding effect begins to appear at 18 min, with the best effect appearing at 21 min after seeding operation. The positive effect can last about 35 min. The microphysical mechanism of the warm fog dissipation is because of the evaporation due to the water vapor condensation on the salt particles and coalescence with salt particles.The process of fog water coalescence with salt particles contributed mostly to this warm fog dissipation. Furthermore, two series of sensitivity experiments were performed to study the seeding effect under different seeding amounts and salt particles sizes. The results show that seeding fog with salt particles sized of 80 μm can have the best seeding effect, and the seeding effect is negative when the salt particle size is less than 10 μm. For salt particles sized 80 μm, the best seeding effect, with corresponding visibility of 380 m, can be achieved when the seeding amount is 30 g m^（-2）.

Variation Characteristics of Temperature and Influence in Wengyuan County

Based on the observation data of temperature in Wengyuan County from 1981 to 2021,the changing trends of annual average temperature,annual average maximum and minimum temperature,annual extreme maximum and minimum temperature,seasonal and monthly average temperature in Wengyuan County in the past 41 years were analyzed.The results show that the annual average temperature,annual average maximum and minimum temperature,and annual extreme maximum and minimum temperature in Wengyuan County in the past 41 years showed a fluctuating upward trend,which is consistent with the changing trend of global climate;the temperature rose obviously in winter and spring and slightly in summer;January was the coldest,while July was the hottest,and the average temperature from April to October was above 20.0℃.In general,the annual average temperature in Wengyuan County changed significantly in 1997.It was relatively cold before 1997 and became relatively warm after 1997.

EFFECT OF WARM ISCHEMIC INJURY ON MORPHOLOGY AND VIABILITY OF AORTIC VALVES IN RATS

Warm ischemia is one of the most important causes of valvular damage from death of donor to its valve harvesting. This study aimed at using qualitative and quantitative methods to characterize warm ischemic injury through models of SD rat's aortic valves and design to show the relationship among ultrastructural, biological and biochemical changes concerning with the length of warm ischemia time (WIT). 102 harvested SD rat's aortic valves were divided into 6 groups of different ischemic time for this study. 432 photomicrographs of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were put into computer for analysis. The volume ratio of nucleus to plasma in cells (Vnp) and the ratio of extramembrane area to volume of mitochondria (S / V) were used to characterize the degree of valvular cell injuries. Valvular cells culture and biochemical metabolism including glucose degredation and H-3-TdR absorption rate were adopted. The valvular cells depicted a significant decrease and H-3-TdR taking-up also being inhibited under the influence of prolonged WIT.

Two-Dimensional Energy Balance Model and Its Application to Some Climatic Issues

Based on a two-dimensional energy balance model, the studies on some climatic issues such as the re- lationship between ice cap latitude and solar constant, desertifieation, and the warming effect of carbon dioxide, have been reviewed and discussed. The phenomenon that a fixed solar constant might correspond to different equilibrium ice cap latitudes is determined by the continuity of albedo distribution. The disconti- nuity in albedo distribution increases the number of equilibrium ice cap latitudes. Desert would expand both northward and southward when desert surface albedo is increasing. This would deteriorate the ecological environment in border regions, and then threaten the existence of local inhabitants. Melting of the polar ice would not be accelerated, with increasing carbon dioxide concentration. The ice cap latitude would move northward slowly, with some “hiatus” periods, under the slowly increasing global average surface tempera- ture. According to the current research, future development of the two-dimensional energy balance model and possible progress are also forecasted.