Acid rain has been recognized as a serious environmental problem in China since the 1980s, but little is known about the effects of the climatic change in regional precipitation on the temporal and spatial variability...Acid rain has been recognized as a serious environmental problem in China since the 1980s, but little is known about the effects of the climatic change in regional precipitation on the temporal and spatial variability of severe acid rain. We present the effects of the regional precipitation trend change on the area and intensity of severe acid rain in southern China, and the spatio-temporal distribution characteristics of SO2 and NO2 concentrations are analyzed on the basis of SO2 and NO2 column concentration data. The results are as follows. （1） The emission levels of SO2 and NO2 have reached or passed the precipitation scavenging capacity in parts of southern China owing to the emission totals of SOz and NO2 increasing from 1993 to 2004. （2） Notable changes in the proportion of cities subject to severe acid rain occurred mainly in the south of the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River during 1993-2004. With an abrupt change in 1999, the severe acid rain regions were mainly located in central and western China during 1993-1999 and moved obviously eastward to the south of the lower-middle reaches of the Yangtze River with the proportion of cities subject to severe acid rain increasing significantly from 2000 to 2004. （3） The spatial distribution and variation in the seasonal precipitation change rate of more than 10 mm/10a are similar to those of severe acid rain in southern China. An abrupt change in 1999 is seen for winter and summer precipitation, the same as for the proportion of cities subject to severe acid rain in southern China. The significant increase in summer storm precipitation from 1991 to 1999 mitigated the annual precipitation acidity in the south of the Yangtze River and reduced the area of severe acid rainfall. On the other hand, the decrease in storm rainfall in summer expanded the area of severe acid rainfall in the south of the Yangtze River in 2000-2006. Therefore, the change in seasonal precipitation is an important factor in the severe acid rain regions moving eastward and expanding in southern China.展开更多
The Badain Jaran Desert exhibits the greatest difference in altitude of all of the world's deserts.On the slopes of megadunes in the desert,there are physical and chemical deposits produced by surface runoff.In ad...The Badain Jaran Desert exhibits the greatest difference in altitude of all of the world's deserts.On the slopes of megadunes in the desert,there are physical and chemical deposits produced by surface runoff.In addition,we have observed rarely-seen infiltration-excess surface runoff in the megadune depressions as well as spring streams at the base of megadunes.We used electron microscopy,energy spectrum analysis,infiltration experiments,moisture content determinations and grain-size analysis to study the mineral and chemical composition of the runoff precipitates,and grain-size of the deposits associated with the runoff,together with the hydrological balance in the megadune area,and the atmospheric precipitation mechanism responsible for groundwater recharge and for supplying water to lakes.The observations of shallow runoff and infiltration-excess surface runoff indicate the occurrence of strong and effective precipitation in summer,which would provide an important source for groundwater recharge.Several lines of evidence,such as the physical and chemical deposits resulting from shallow subsurface runoff,spring streams,infiltration-excess runoff,and gravity capillary water with a moisture content of 3-6%,demonstrate that precipitation reaches the base of the megadunes through infiltration and subsequently becomes groundwater.The chemical deposits,such as newly-formed calcite and gypsum,and gray-black physical deposits,as well as different stages in the development of fan-shaped landforms resulting from shallow subsurface runoff,indicate that groundwater recharge in the area is the result of long-term precipitation,rather than intermittent individual major rainfall events.Fine sand layers with a low infiltration capacity lead to subsurface runoff emerging at the ground surface.Five factors play an important role in maintaining a positive water balance and in replenishing groundwater via rainfall:effective rainfall as a water source,the high infiltration capacity of the sands enabling rainfall to rapidly become capillary water in the dunes,low evapotranspiration rates due to the sparse vegetation,the fact that the depth of the sand layer influenced by evaporation is shallow enough to maximize the deep infiltration of rainfall,and rapidly-moving gravity capillary water in the sandy dunes.These five factors together constitute a mechanism for groundwater recharge from rainfall,and explain the origin of the groundwater and lakes in the area.Our findings represent a significant advance in research on the hydrological cycle,including groundwater recharge conditions and recharge mechanisms,in this desert region.展开更多
基金Concentrated fund item of national science and technology foundation work, No.2005DKA31700-06-20Special fund from China Meteorological Administration,No.CCSF2006-32
文摘Acid rain has been recognized as a serious environmental problem in China since the 1980s, but little is known about the effects of the climatic change in regional precipitation on the temporal and spatial variability of severe acid rain. We present the effects of the regional precipitation trend change on the area and intensity of severe acid rain in southern China, and the spatio-temporal distribution characteristics of SO2 and NO2 concentrations are analyzed on the basis of SO2 and NO2 column concentration data. The results are as follows. （1） The emission levels of SO2 and NO2 have reached or passed the precipitation scavenging capacity in parts of southern China owing to the emission totals of SOz and NO2 increasing from 1993 to 2004. （2） Notable changes in the proportion of cities subject to severe acid rain occurred mainly in the south of the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River during 1993-2004. With an abrupt change in 1999, the severe acid rain regions were mainly located in central and western China during 1993-1999 and moved obviously eastward to the south of the lower-middle reaches of the Yangtze River with the proportion of cities subject to severe acid rain increasing significantly from 2000 to 2004. （3） The spatial distribution and variation in the seasonal precipitation change rate of more than 10 mm/10a are similar to those of severe acid rain in southern China. An abrupt change in 1999 is seen for winter and summer precipitation, the same as for the proportion of cities subject to severe acid rain in southern China. The significant increase in summer storm precipitation from 1991 to 1999 mitigated the annual precipitation acidity in the south of the Yangtze River and reduced the area of severe acid rainfall. On the other hand, the decrease in storm rainfall in summer expanded the area of severe acid rainfall in the south of the Yangtze River in 2000-2006. Therefore, the change in seasonal precipitation is an important factor in the severe acid rain regions moving eastward and expanding in southern China.
基金supported by the Major Projects of International Cooperation of National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41210002 & 40672108)the Cheung Kong Scholars Programme of the Ministry of Education of China(Grant No.801813)
文摘The Badain Jaran Desert exhibits the greatest difference in altitude of all of the world's deserts.On the slopes of megadunes in the desert,there are physical and chemical deposits produced by surface runoff.In addition,we have observed rarely-seen infiltration-excess surface runoff in the megadune depressions as well as spring streams at the base of megadunes.We used electron microscopy,energy spectrum analysis,infiltration experiments,moisture content determinations and grain-size analysis to study the mineral and chemical composition of the runoff precipitates,and grain-size of the deposits associated with the runoff,together with the hydrological balance in the megadune area,and the atmospheric precipitation mechanism responsible for groundwater recharge and for supplying water to lakes.The observations of shallow runoff and infiltration-excess surface runoff indicate the occurrence of strong and effective precipitation in summer,which would provide an important source for groundwater recharge.Several lines of evidence,such as the physical and chemical deposits resulting from shallow subsurface runoff,spring streams,infiltration-excess runoff,and gravity capillary water with a moisture content of 3-6%,demonstrate that precipitation reaches the base of the megadunes through infiltration and subsequently becomes groundwater.The chemical deposits,such as newly-formed calcite and gypsum,and gray-black physical deposits,as well as different stages in the development of fan-shaped landforms resulting from shallow subsurface runoff,indicate that groundwater recharge in the area is the result of long-term precipitation,rather than intermittent individual major rainfall events.Fine sand layers with a low infiltration capacity lead to subsurface runoff emerging at the ground surface.Five factors play an important role in maintaining a positive water balance and in replenishing groundwater via rainfall:effective rainfall as a water source,the high infiltration capacity of the sands enabling rainfall to rapidly become capillary water in the dunes,low evapotranspiration rates due to the sparse vegetation,the fact that the depth of the sand layer influenced by evaporation is shallow enough to maximize the deep infiltration of rainfall,and rapidly-moving gravity capillary water in the sandy dunes.These five factors together constitute a mechanism for groundwater recharge from rainfall,and explain the origin of the groundwater and lakes in the area.Our findings represent a significant advance in research on the hydrological cycle,including groundwater recharge conditions and recharge mechanisms,in this desert region.
