Physicochemical composition and climate response of surface sediments at different altitudes in Motuo on the southern slope of the Himalayas

Background,aim,and scope Certain physicochemical indexes of topsoil are closely related to climatic factors including temperature,and precipitation.Understanding the relationship between modern topsoil properties and climatic factors is essential for quantitative paleoclimate reconstruction.Motuo located in the eastern Himalayas,exhibits a significant elevation gradient of over 7000 m from Nnamjagbarwa Peak(7782 m a.s.l.)to the Baxika(150 m a.s.l.).This region features a complete vertical zonation of vegetation,from alpine meadow to tropical forest,presenting an ideal place to investigate the relationships among vegetation,soil and climate conditions across altitudinal gradients.This study aims to explore the vertical variations in the physicochemical composition of topsoil and its relationship with temperature and precipitation.Materials and methods Twenty-seven topsoil samples were collected at 100 m intervals from 800 m to 3600 m a.s.l.along the southern slope of the Himalayas.Grain size,magnetic susceptibility and geochemical elements were measured to discuss the vertical variation characteristics of topsoil composition and their correlation with climatic factors.Results(1)The grain size of topsoil at different altitudes in Motuo is mainly composed of sand accounting for an averaged 53.2%,followed by silt and clay.(2)In the mixed forest zone,frequency dependent magnetic susceptibility(χfd%)shows a clear relationship with altitude,and clay is positively correlated with both altitude and climatic factors.(3)The oxides of topsoil in this area mainly consist of SiO_(2),Al_(2)O_(3)and Fe_(2)O_(3),followed by MgO,CaO,Na_(2)O and K_(2)O,with slight variations in the primary components at different altitudes.The sensitivity of elements to climate varies across different altitudes and vegetation zone,likely due to the region’s complex topography and vegetation.(4)Physical and biological weathering dominates in the broad-leaved forest zone of Motuo,while chemical weathering is more prominent in the coniferous forest zone,with the mixed forest zone falling in between.Discussion The formation of topsoil across the three vegetation zones is influenced by various factors,including parent material,vegetation,and climate.In the broad-leaved forest zone,physical weathering(precipitation,root wedging etc.)and pedogenesis dominate,resulting in finer grain size.Theχfd%increases with altitude likely due to the high temperature and abundant precipitation in this zone,which facilitate the transformation of strong magnetic miners into weaker ones,particularly when the soil is oversaturated.Zirconium(Zr),primarily found in zircon,is depleted at lower altitudes by strong current erosion.Barium(Ba)is similarly reduced at low altitudes in this zone.In mixed forest zone,clay content is the lowest,indicating weaker physical weathering conditions than broad-leaved forest zone.The coarser grain size may result from the combined effects of topography and vegetation coverage.Magnetic susceptibility and organic matter show a positive correlation with altitude.Zr concentration is higher than that in the broad-leaved forest zone,likely resulting from decreased precipitation.In the coniferous zone,the clay content shows considerable fluctuations,with grain size generally becoming finer as altitude increases.This trend may be explained by intensified soil disintegration from seasonal freeze-thaw cycles.Theχfd%values lack a clear trend or pattern,possibly due to soil erosion causing the migration of magnetic minerals or insufficient iron precipitation,which reduces the concentration of magnetic minerals in the soil.Additionally,a positive correlation is observed between altitude and organic matter content,with higher altitudes associated with greater organic matter accumulation.This may be attributed to lower microbial activity in colder conditions,which slows the decomposition and transformation of organic matter.Conclusions The variations in grain size,magnetic susceptibility,and geochemical elements differ across altitudes and vegetation zones,closely connected to the complex interplay of terrain,vegetation,and climate in Motuo.In the mixed forest,altitude has a significant impact onχfd%,and the clay component is particularly sensitive to changes in altitude,mean annual temperature,and precipitation.Zr shows a strong correlation with altitude and climate factors,making it a valuable indicator for assessing changes in atmospheric precipitation within specific altitude ranges.Recommendations and perspectives This study enhances our understanding of the relationships between the physicochemical properties of topsoil and climate conditions,offering valuable insights for paleoclimate reconstruction in Motuo.

当“汉学”被缀以“主义”:汉学主义笔谈

"汉学",意指海外各国学者对中国所做的研究,从其历史发展看,历经了由东至西,由北而南的延伸路线。最初东亚等邻国对中国知识的引介与研究,因其初意即怀有向中国学习的目标,可视之为一种"意内"之学;西方诸国对中国的探索始于16世纪末,因西人的最初来华并非为向中国学习,而有其他目的,然却在此过程中发展出了一门研究中国的学问,故也可称为是"意外"之学。尽管后来的发展并非尽如上述,并且均会在研究中携入汉学家自身的文化视野、话语方式、使用目标等,但只要是在汉学的范围内,无论是引介、研究、交流与对话等,都可看作是一种"自然而然"的活动。在"汉学"后添入"主义"一词,是近年来一些学者的创见,类同于在"东方(学)"之后加一"主义"的尾缀之后,遂将自然而然的知识进程提炼、反观为一种"问题式"考量的对象。在汉学主义的定位中,汉学被看作是一种有问题的学问,大致包括两个方面,一是汉学本身,当其自我为尊时,便成了"主义",二是汉学的受体,即当汉学成为中国学人热衷或效仿的对象时,也会疑似固化为了一种"主义"。但由于词语本身的模糊性,也会导致一种更为泛化的指涉,即将整个汉学及其研究在概约化之后拢入"主义"的范畴,这在一般的读解中是不可避免的。此外,敏感的读者还能在这一赋名中体察到一丝藐视、讽喻的意味,从而清楚地表明汉学主义的言说主要秉持的是一种唱衰论的基调。而无论对之做怎样的理解,从起因上来看,赋名本身都多少会与文化抵御的意识密切相关,即首先源自于主体性失位的焦虑,进而以一种"他我关系"的二元论思维,明确地将他者的介入及对之的接受看做是对文化本位性的消解。既然如此,即便是从学理上看,这一概念所牵涉的问题也就颇为广泛了,比如我们是否可以笼统地言说"汉学",还是需要将整体的汉学加以分类或分疏,以便清晰地去辨认哪些是具有主体压抑性的而哪些则不是;对汉学的接受在什么程度上是良性的,或在什么情况下变成了拙劣的模仿;汉学的强盛是否会对中国研究构成威胁,抑或主要是一种积极与有益的建设性力量;汉学对中国本土的学术影响究竟有多大,是随便说说的呢,还是真的能够给出一些可信的事例或将这种影响加以量化式的分析;汉学与本土之学之间是否可以按照"他我"论的二元思维加以明晰的驳分,以至于分辨出哪些是主体原有的哪些是他者的;这同时也意味着我们究竟是承认两者之间一直存在的一种互系与互构的关系,还是将之看作是沿单向度通道传播的;进而,在一种全球知识日渐交融的进程中,我们如何可能有效地界定出一个假象性的知识主体?由上而知,这些疑虑均非可用"主义"一词便轻松地打发的,而是需要在更为深化的思考与对话中再做澄清。正是基于此,一直以来关注与从事海外汉学研究的三位学者希望借助这一栏目发表一些自己的想法。韩振华的论述以质疑为起点,在追溯了作为思维方式的汉学主义形成的过程之后,以为在当前的语境中,汉学主义的设论其实已与国内学者的意识与实践均相去甚远,难免有捕风捉影之嫌。就理论上推敲,由于汉学主义的持论者陷入的是一种差异性的迷思,因此也易就此而取消了不同民族之间通约性的可能,从而将交流与互构置于一种虚无主义的境地。任增强的论述在视角上有所不同,虽然他不全然同意汉学主义的主张,但还是希望读者能够注意到前后学者之间的一些思想变化,尤其是通过关注后期持论者的身份特征,发现这一观念提出的文化与知识背景,感受到他我论思维实际上源自于必不可免的语境,从而主张以理解的同情去把握论者寄予其中的一些深意,此对于未来中国学术的展开或将是有所利好的。王兵的论述,质疑了汉学主义持论中的"文化无意识"偏见,而将重点置于"当中国遇上了西方"时应当如何采取正当的对策——这一解决问题的方案上,因此更像是沿着汉学主义提出的问题,而试图寻求一种凌越其上的路径,并为此而提出了三点自己的建议。其中如正视差异,有缝对接等看法,不仅肯定了知识身份的主位性意义,而且也冀望能以宽怀的襟抱去接受对方,融通中西。总体来看,三位学者的意见尽管各持一端,又都围绕着共同的议题而形成了一种交叉中的共振,使我们可以从多个侧面去审视与思考汉学主义的症结与得失,他们的许多见地也大大超出了我本人原有的思考范畴,甚可细加咀嚼。在目前国内学术界日益陷入实证主义式的、以自我划界的沉闷氛围中,这样的讨论甚至是交锋,不啻令人如遇清风,胸塞顿开。是为之引。

Eco-Environment Status of the Bohai Bay and the Impact of Coastal Exploitation

With the rapid economic development in the surrounding coastal zone, more and more wastewater has been discharged into the Bohai Bay. And with the scale of coastal exploitation being expanded year by year, the eco-environment of the Bohai Bay has been confronted with great pressure. In this paper, the main problems in the eco-environment of the Bohai Bay were summarized firstly. Red tides occurred more frequently and more seriously; salinity rose in inshore area, the fishery resources degenerated; all the above indicate that the eco-environment of the Bohai Bay is under a severe situation Next, to make a concrete study of the existing status of the Bohai Bay, the eco-environment index system was set up. Then the principal components analytic method and grey relation method were adopted to carry on a comprehensive analysis on the status. The results show that serious pollution of inorganic nitrogen and active phosphate, and poor species diversity are the main presentations of the bad quality of the inshore aquatic eco-environment of the Bohai Bay, which is mainly induced by the massive discharge of pollutant from land and the overexploitation in the surrounding coastal zone. At last, the variations of hydrodynamic characteristics and the pollutant transport caused by coastal exploitations such as reclamation and seawater desalination are analyzed. The results show that reclamation in coastal water not only decreases the tidal prism and weakens the tidal current action, but also influences the pollution distribution in the coastal water. The seawater desalination project would cause tremendous influence to the aquatic eco-environment of the Bohai Bay as the pollutant＇s pulse impact. Much more attention would be paid to the reasonable use of the coastal zone resources and the control of pollution from land-based sources.

Investigation of fecal coliform and typical enteric virus in representative beaches of China

Through investigating ten recreational marine beaches in China, we aimed to detect the occurrence of human enteric viruses in coastal bathing beaches and find a correlationship, if any, between the presence of enteric viruses in surface seawater and the concentrations of fecal coliforms, the conventional indicator of fecal pollution. In this study, twenty seawater samples were assayed for fecal coliforms and human pathogenic enteric viruses （hepatitis A viruses, rotaviruses, polioviruses） analysis. Enteric viruses were detected by RT-PCR, in 20 sample sites, 5%, 40%, 40% were positive for the presence of human hepatitis A viruses, rotaviruses, polioviruses, respectively. Seven of 20 sites are suffering from severe fecal contamination, based on traditional plate counts of fecal coliform outnumbering the established thresholds for recreation. Additionally, statistical analysis presented that no correlation was found between bacterial indicators and viruses in surface seawaters. The data confirmed that indicator bacteria in water are not reflective of the presence of enteric viruses in marine waters. Thus, current recreational water quality standards of both bacterial and viral indices should be reevaluated.

Study on the Biological Diversity of Nematode-trapping Fungi in Erhai Lake

[Objective]The research aimed to investigate the biological diversity of nematode-trapping fungi in the sediment of Erhai Lake.[Method]616 pieces of sediments were collected from Erhai Lake.The traditional classification and identification methods were used to isolate,purify and identify.[Result]3 genera and 22 species of nematode-trapping fungi were isolated.Arthrobotrys oligospora,A.musiformis and Dactylella leptospora were the dominant species,and their detection rates were 28.05%,16.04% and 8.92% respectively.By analyzing the diversity of nematode-trapping fungi in four seasons,it was found that the biological diversity was richer in summer,spring and autumn,and the diversity indexes were 2.59,2.47 and 2.34 respectively.The diversity index in winter was 1.48 and was lower.Species forming the adhesive nets were predominant;positive rate was 41.00%.[Conclusion]The rich nematode-trapping fungi resource existed in Erhai Lake,and its biological diversity had the seasonal variation characteristic.The nematode-trapping fungi which formed the viscous net were the dominant species in Erhai Lake.

瑜伽洁肠法

一套完整的洁肠法,可以主动地清洁整个消化道,并起到锻炼和改善内在环境活性的作用。"商卡。普拉刹拉那"洁肠法是瑜伽洁净功法之一,梵文是shankhaprakshaiana,音译是"商卡。普拉刹拉那"--"商卡"的意思是海螺,指海螺形的肠脏,而"普拉刹拉那"是彻底洗净的意思。事实上。

Research on the evaluation of marine function zoning and its practice in China

The evaluation of marine function zoning （hereinafter referred to as MFZ） is an important part of MFZ. This paper studies the principles of MFZ evaluation and the evaluation procedures. It is proposed that three main aspects, including the evaluation of MFZ implementation situation, the evaluation of the performance effects and the evaluation of the changes of dependent conditions, are the top priorities in establishing an evaluation indicator system framework. The evaluation of MFZ implementation situation includes assessing the general situation of MFZ and the degree of implementation and public participation. The evaluation of the performance effects involves the assessments of the achievements and the existing problems in the rectification and standardization of utilizing the sea areas, protecting marine resources and environment, and promoting marine economic development. The evaluation of the changes of dependent conditions includes the assessments and measurements of the changes in the social and economic conditions, the use demands of marine industries, marine resource conditions and marine environmental conditions. This paper provides the means of integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches into the scientific and systematic evaluation on MFZ. The evaluation results can determine whether MFZ needs to be altered or not. The results also provide an important reference basis for determining whether a slight or great alteration is justified. To illustrate the utility of the MFZ evaluation indicator system, an evaluation example is given. Further studies are needed to make the evaluation of MFZ more scientific, reasonable, fair and effective.

Construction of Inorganic Elemental Fingerprint and Multivariate Statistical Analysis of Marine Traditional Chinese Medicine Meretricis concha from Rushan Bay

Meretricis concha is a kind of marine traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), and has been commonly used for the treatment of asthma and scald burns. In order to investigate the relationship between the inorganic elemental fingerprint and the geographical origin identification of Meretricis concha, the elemental contents of M. concha from five sampling points in Rushan Bay have been determined by means of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry(ICP-OES). Based on the contents of 14 inorganic elements(Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn), the inorganic elemental fingerprint which well reflects the elemental characteristics was constructed. All the data from the five sampling points were discriminated with accuracy through hierarchical cluster analysis(HCA) and principle component analysis(PCA), indicating that a four-factor model which could explain approximately 80% of the detection data was established, and the elements Al, As, Cd, Cu, Ni and Pb could be viewed as the characteristic elements. This investigation suggests that the inorganic elemental fingerprint combined with multivariate statistical analysis is a promising method for verifying the geographical origin of M. concha, and this strategy should be valuable for the authenticity discrimination of some marine TCM.

Diatom assemblages in surface sediments from the South China Sea as environmental indicators

We studied diatom distribution from 62 samples from the uppermost 1 cm of sedimem in the South China Sea （SCS）, using grabs or box corers in three cruises between 2001-2007. Fifty six genera, 256 species and their varieties were identified. Dominating species included Coscinodiscus africanus, Coscinodiscus nodulifer, Cyclotella stylorum, Hemidiscus cuneiformis, Melosira sulcata, Nitzschia marina, Roperia tesselata, Thalassionema nitzschioides, Thalassiosira excentrica, and Thalassiothrix longissima. Most surface sediments in the SCS were rich ill diatoms, except for a few coarse samples. Average diatom abundance in the study area was 104 607 valve/g. In terms of the abundance, ecology, and spatial distribution, seven diatom zones （Zones 1-7） were recognized. Zone 1 （northern continental shelf） is affected by warm currents, SCS northern branch of the Kuroshio, and northern coastal currents; Zone 2 （northwestern continental shelf） is affected by intense coastal currents; Zone 3 （Xisha Islands sea area） is a bathyal environment with transitional water masses; Zone 4 （sea basin） is a bathyal-to-deep sea with stable and uniform central water masses in a semi-enclosed marginal sea; Zone 5 （Nansba Islands marine area） is a pelagic environment with relatively high surface temperature; Zone 6 （northern Sunda Shelf） is a tropical shelf environment; and Zone 7 （northern Kalimantan Island shelf area） is affected by warm waters from the Indian Ocean and coastal waters. The data indicate that these diatom zones are closely related to topography, hydrodynamics, temperature, nutrients and especially the salinity. Better understanding of the relationship between diatom distribution and the oceanographic factors would help in the reconstruction of the SCS in the past.

Seasonal Variations of Net-Phytoplankton Community Structure in the Southern Yellow Sea

Based on the field survey data of four cruises in 2011,all phytoplankton communities in the southern Yellow Sea (SYS) were investigated for the species composition,dominant species,abundance and diversity indices.A total of 379 species belonging to9 phyla were identified,of which the most abundant group was Bacillariophyta (60.9%) ,followed by Pyrrophyta (23.7%) and Haptophyta (6.9%) .The seasonal distribution of abundance was:summer (4137.1×103ind m 3) >spring (3940.4×103ind m 3) >winter (3010.6×103ind m 3) >autumn (340.8×103ind m 3) ,while the horizontal distribution showed a decreasing tendency from inshore to offshore regions.The dominant species of phytoplankton varied in different seasons.The dominant species were Thalassiosira pacifica,Skeletoema spp.and Chaetoceros cinctus in spring,Chaetoceros debbilis,Chaetoceros pseudocurvisetus and Chaetoceros curvisetus in summer,Thalassiosira curviseriata,Alexandrium catenella and Ceratium fusus in autumn,Paralia sulcata,Phaeocystis sp.and Bacillaria paradoxa in winter,respectively.In SYS,the group of temperate coastal species was the major ecotype,and the groups of the central SYS species and oceanic species were also important constituents.The average values of Shannon-Weaver diversity index (H’) and Pielou evenness index (J) were 2.37 and 0.65 respectively.The indices H’and J in the open sea were higher than those in coastal waters.Obvious co-variation tendencies between H’and J were observed in all but the summer cruise of this survey.

Comparison between BCR sequential extraction and geo-accumulation method to evaluate metal mobility in sediments of Dongting Lake, Central China

The form in which a metal exists strongly influences its mobility and thus, the effects on the environment. Operational methods of speciation analysis, such as the use of sequential extraction procedures, are commonly applied. The Dongting Lake, the second largest fresh-water lake in China, contains three China wetlands of international importance, the East Dongting Lake, South Dongting Lake, and West Dongting Lake. In this work, an optimized BCR sequential extraction procedure was used to assess the environmental risk of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn in contaminated sediment of the Dongting Lake. The procedure was evaluated by using a certified reference material, BCR701. The results of the partitioning study indicated that in the lake sediments, more easily mobilized forms (acid exchangeable) were predominant for Cd, particularly in the samples from the East Dongting Lake. In contrast, the largest amount of Pb was associated with the iron and manganese oxide fractions and Cu, Zn, Cr, and Ni analyzed were mainly distributed in residual phase at an average percentage greater than 60% of the total metals. The potential risk to the lake's water contamination was highest in the East Dongting Lake based on the calculated contamination factors. On the other hand, the total metal content was determined as well by inductively coupled plasma and mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and assessed by using geo-accumulation index. The assessment results using geo-accumulation index were compared with the information on metal speciation. Both were correspondent with each other.

Nuclear Transition Between the Conjunction Cells of Phaeodactylum tricornutum Bohlin (Bacillariophyta)

Phaeodactylum tricornutum is one of the important marine diatoms for oceanic primary production. Its reproduction has profound significance in the life cycle; however, the nuclear behavior during its sexual reproduction was not clear. In this study, we observed the nuclear transition and determined its correlation with cell conjunction. It was found that two cells jointed at their apices first and swung and aligned each other immediately, and nucleus from one cell was able to transfer into another one during cell conjugation. The cell pairs conjugated for nuclear transition were different from those formed in mitosis in hypovalve thickness and cellular arrangement. Our findings proved the existence of sexual reproduction in P. tricornutum.

Spatiotemporal variation in community structure of marine benthic ciliates in the Yellow Sea during and after macroalgal and giant jellyfish blooms

The annual bloom of the green macroalgal Ulva prolifera from May through July since 2008 and another of giant jellyfi sh Nemopilema nomurai from June through September have been frequent events in the Yellow Sea. However, the patterns of benthic ciliate communities during and after the blooms are still not known. In combination with analyses of benthic environmental factors, we investigated the distribution and community composition of benthic ciliates in the Yellow Sea in July and November 2011. In July, ciliates had high standing crops and diversity in the northern Yellow Sea, and in the inshore area off the southern Shandong Peninsula, where large numbers of green macroalgae accumulated. In November, the abundance, biomass and diversity of ciliates were high in the sea areas off the Shandong Peninsula and Changjiang estuary, where a large quantity of jellyfi sh occurred in August. Neither the abundance nor the biomass had signifi cant diff erence between seasons, or between diff erent compartments of the Yellow Sea. The species number, and both Margalef and Shannon-Wiener indices of ciliates were all signifi cantly higher in November than in July. In both seasons, prostomateans and karyorelicteans consistently constituted the fi rst and second most important ciliate groups in biomass; and carnivorous ciliates constituted the primary feeding type in terms of biomass as well as species richness, followed by bacterivores, algivores and omnivores. Compared with that in June 2007 when no macroalgae occurred, the percentage of small-sized bacterivores(e.g. Metacystis spp., Euplotes spp. and scuticociliates) increased in July 2011. The proportion of carnivorous ciliates increased in November, and this increased dominance of carnivorous ciliates may be a response to the increase in predominance of heterotrophic nanofl agellates, which might in turn be ascribed to an eff ect of green macroalgal and giant jellyfi sh blooms in the Yellow Sea.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Biological Markers in Pituitary Adenomas with Invasion of the Cavernous Sinus Space

Objective: To investigate the predictability of MRI and the possiblebiological markers of cavernous sinus invasion of pituitary adenomas associated with fourphenomenas: angiogenesis, cell proliferation, apoptosis and matrix metalloproteinase. Methods: Weevaluated 45 patients with pituitary adenoma according to the MRI, surgical findings and theimmunohistochemistry staining of tumor tissues. Results: The results have shown that the sensitivityof MRI for predicting cavernous sinus invasion in this prospective study was 60%, its specificity85%, its positive predictive value 83.33%, negative predictive value 62.96%. 45 specimens ofpituitary adenomas were analyzed for expression of F8, VEGF, Ki-67, c-myc, Bcl-2, nm23 and MMP-9immunoreactivity using immunoperoxidase staining. MVD was assessed using F8-related antigen. Theresults have shown that MVD of invasive pituitary adenomas was significantly higher than that ofnoninvasive (P 【 0.001). There was an association between the invasion of pituitary adenomas andKi-67 LI (P = 0.039) or the expression of VEGF (P 【 0.001) and MMP-9 (P 【 0.001). But c-myc LI andBcl-2 expression have no association with invasiveness of pituitary adenomas (P = 0.061 versus P =0.201). On the other hand, there is an inverse relationship between nm23 expression and tumorinvasion (P 【 0.001). Conclusion: Parasellar extension of pituitary adenomas through the medial wallof the cavernous sinus is diagnosed at surgery, and with sensitive gadolinium-enhanced MRI, itsextent can be partly determined by radiology. Although our study has shown that MVD and theexpression of VEGF, Ki-67, nm23 and MMP-9 have associations with invasiveness of pituitary adenomas,they are lack of specificity. These markers can only provide some useful information.

Development of a Seaweed Species-Selection Index for Successful Culture in a Seaweed-Based Integrated Aquaculture System

Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) has been proposed as a concept that combines the cultivation of fed aquaculture species (e.g., finfish/shrimp) with extractive aquaculture species (e.g., shellfish/seaweed). In seaweed-based integrated aquaculture, seaweeds have the capacity to reduce the environmental impact of nitrogen-rich effluents on coastal ecosystems. Thus, selection of optimal species for such aquaculture is of great importance. The present study aimed to develop a seaweed species-selection index for selecting suitable species in seaweed-based integrated aquaculture system. The index was synthesized using available literature-based information, reference data, and physiological seaweed experiments to identify and prioritize the desired species. Undaria pinnatifida, Porphyra yezoensis and Ulva compressa scored the highest according to a seaweed-based integrated aquaculture suitability index (SASI). Seaweed species with the highest scores were adjudged to fit the integrated aquaculture systems. Despite the application of this model limited by local aquaculture environment, it is considered to be a useful tool for selecting seaweed species in IMTA.

Application of a Step-by-Step Fingerprinting Identification Method on a Spilled Oil Accident in the Bohai Sea Area

In recent years,oil spill accidents occur frequently in the marine area of China.Finding out the spilled oil source is a key step in the relevant investigation.In this paper,a step-by-step fingerprinting identification method was used in a spilled oil accident in the Bohai Sea in 2002.Advanced chemical fingerprinting and data interpretation techniques were used to characterize the chemical composition and determine the possible sources of two spilled oil samples.The original gas chromatography -flame ionization detec-tion (GC-FID) chromatogram of saturated hydrocarbons was compared.The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) chromatograms of aromatic hydrocarbons terpane and sterane,n-alkane and poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed.The correlation analysis on diagnostic ratios was performed with Student’s t-test.It is found that the oil fingerprinting of the spilled oil (designated as sz1) from the polluted sand beach was identical with the suspected oil (designated as ky1) from a nearby crude oil refinery factory.They both showed the fingerprinting character of mixed oil.The oil fingerprinting of the spilled oil (designated as ms1) collected from the port was significantly different from oil ky1 and oil sz1 and was with a lubricating oil fingerprint character.The identification result not only gave support for the spilled oil investigation,but also served as an example for studying spilled oil accidents.

Development of Coastal Vulnerability Index for the Kingdom of Bahrain

The CVI （coastal vulnerability index） was developed and used to assess the vulnerability of the coastline of the Kingdom of Bahrain main islands to future SLR （sea level rise）. A total of 717 km of the coastline was evaluated. Six spatial factors acting on the coastal area： erosion/accretion patterns （shoreline change）, topography （elevation above mean sea level）, geology, geomorphology, slope, and mean sea level rise were incorporated and ranked to develop the CVI. This index was classified into four levels of vulnerability： low, moderate, high, and very high. Vulnerable hotspots are located along the central portions of the western and eastern coastlines. The vulnerability of these areas is mostly driven by their characteristically shallow coastal slopes, low elevations, and erosion-prone nature of the sandy soils presents, comprising about 54 km of the studied shoreline. Another 33 km of coastline were classified as highly vulnerable and located along the eastern coast. In addition, the western coast of the southern tip of the main island （Bahrain） was also classified as a highly vulnerable shoreline. Twenty-two km was classified as the moderate vulnerable. The remaining coastal areas were classified as low to moderately vulnerable comprising about 608 km of the total length of the coastline. Identifying those hotspots susceptible to SLR is essential for more effective coastal zone management and to help in reducing the impacts of SLR on both infrastructure and human beings.

Forecasts of South China Sea surface temperature anomalies using the Nio indices and dipole mode index as predictors

Based on an empirical orthogonal function （EOF） analysis of the monthly NCEP Optimum Interpolation Sea Surface Temperature （OISST） data in the South China Sea （SCS） after removing the climatological mean and trends of SST, over the period of January 1982 to October 2003, the corresponding TCF correlates best with the Dipole Mode Index （DMI）, Nino1＋2, Nino3.4, Nino3, and Niflo4 indices with time lags of 10, 3, 6, 5, and 6 months, respectively. Thus, a statistical hindcasts in the prediction model are based on a canonical correlation analysis （CCA） model using the above indices as predictors spanning from 1993/1994 to 2003/2004 with a 1-12 month lead time after the canonical variants are calculated, using data from the training periods from January 1982 to December1992. The forecast model is successful and steady when the lead times are 1-12 months. The SCS warm event in 1998 was successfully predicted with lead times from 1-12 months irrespective of the strength or time extent. The prediction ability for SSTA is lower during weak ENSO years, in which other local factors should be also considered as local effects play a relatively important role in these years. We designed the two forecast models： one using both DMI and Nino indices and the other using only Nino indices without DMI, and compared the forecast accuracies of the two cases. The spatial distributions of forecast accuracies show different confidence areas. By turning off the DMI, the forecast accuracy is lower in the coastal areas off the Philippines in the SCS, suggesting some teleconnection may occur with the Indian Ocean in this area. The highest forecast accuracies occur when the forecast interval is five months long without using the DMI, while using both of Nino indices and DMI, the highest accuracies occur when the forecast interval time is eight months, suggesting that the Nino indices dominate the interannual variability of SST anomalies in the SCS. Meanwhile the forecast accuracy is evaluated over an independent test period of more than 11 years （1993/94 to October 2004） by comparing the model performance with a simple prediction strategy involving the persistence of sea surface temperature anomalies over a 1-12 month lead time （the persisted prediction）. Predictions based on the CCA model show a significant improvement over the persisted prediction, especially with an increased lead time （longer than 3 months）. The forecast model performs steadily and the forecast accuracy, i.e., the correlation coefficients between the observed and predicted SSTA in the SCS are about 0.5 in most middle and southern SCS areas, when the thresholds are greater than the 95% confidence level. For all 1 to 12 month lead time forecasts, the root mean square errors have a standard deviation of about 0.2. The seasonal differences in the prediction performance for the 1-12 month lead time are also examined.

Evaluation of Nitrogen Cycling Associated with Agricultural Production and Environmental Load in a Mountain Region,in Hokkaido,Japan

This study examined the nitrogen cycling associated with agricultural production and environmental load in central Hokkaido. The nitrogen (N) budget analysis model offers a new set of tools for evaluating N cycling in agro-ecosystems. The cycling index (CI) is a useful tool for estimating optimal N flows in farmlands. The fertilization index (FI) is a useful indicator for characterizing the N flows related to farms. Using these parameters, we analyzed all farm systems to estimate the optimal N cycling for minimizing N pollution in groundwater and maximizing agricultural production in mountain regions of Japan. The results showed that the critical N application rate (chemical fertilizer + manure) was 143.3 kg N ha-1 y-1. The critical inter-system input (chemical fertilizer N, imported food and feed N, and natural supplied N) was 169.2 kg N ha-1 y-1.